Lukas Rieben ’27 Caps Incredible Comeback Season With Individual Awards

Lukas Rieben ’27 arrived at Wittenberg University with the goal of making his mark on the men’s track and field and cross country teams, but his journey to record-breaking performances and individual accolades has become one defined by resilience.

Just as his success was building, Rieben encountered a major setback, a grade three femoral neck stress fracture the summer before his junior year. Instead of racing to the front of the pack, the injury sidelined him for the entire 2025 cross country season as he focused on rehabilitation.

“I was patient with the process,” Rieben said. “Running and exercise has always been a big part of my life, so not being able to participate for three months felt like forever. Even when I returned to running, the progress was slow. I had to build from nothing while my teammates were all in peak shape for the end of the cross country season.

“It was easy to think ‘what if I never get back to where I was?’ but I trusted my doctor, athletic trainer, and coaches.”

During that time, Rieben credited his coaches and teammates for their unwavering support.

“Once diagnosed, my coaches reminded me how much I had improved last track season, and I just had to trust the process,” he said.

It wasn’t easy for either Rieben or Wittenberg’s coaching staff to wait out his recovery. The Tigers had a small cross country squad in 2025, and Rieben’s absence significantly impacted the team’s performance.

“Lukas is extremely focused and committed to being the best distance runner he can be and help the team as much as he can,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Paris Hilliard. “Even when he was injured, he continued to show the team how important being disciplined was. With that discipline he was able to get himself healthy and is now having a breakout season.”

Rieben made his return at the first indoor track meet in December, and he marked the moment by breaking 15 minutes in the 5000-meter run — an important breakthrough in his journey.

“My confidence after that carried me into progressing,” he said. “I attacked workouts differently and tried to put in extra effort everyday into improving my fitness and recovery.”

Heading into the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Indoor Championships, hosted by Wittenberg, Rieben was not favored in the 3000-meter run, yet he rose to the occasion, leading both the 5000-meter run and 3000-meter run from gun to wire on back-to-back days — an incredibly demanding accomplishment. Rieben earned All-NCAC in both events and then picked up the prestigious NCAC Distance/Middle Distance Indoor Athlete of the Year award.

Best of all, Rieben’s two winning runs helped the Tigers clinch the indoor conference title for a third straight year.

It’s a short turnaround from the end of the indoor season and the start of the outdoor season, but Rieben’s conditioning continued to pay off at Emory University’s Thrill in the Hills in late March. He swept the 1500-meter run and the 5000-meter run at Emory to stand atop the NCAC standings in both events at the time and earn NCAC Athlete of the Week honors. That performance marked the start of another phenomenal string of finishes that culminated with more awards at the NCAC Outdoor Championships May 1-2.

Rieben pulled off an amazing feat at the conference outdoor meet, earning NCAC Outdoor Distance/Middle Distance Athlete of the Year after sweeping the 5000-meter and 10000-meter runs. He posted winning times of 14:32.25 and 32:14.95, respectively, with the time in the 5000-meter run also breaking the school and NCAC record. The 20 points Rieben scored in the meet helped the Tigers place second in the team standings.

The 2025-26 season may be just winding down, but Rieben is already looking ahead. He has big plans for his senior season.

“Next cross country season I'll be our only upperclassman, so I'm looking forward to leading by example and helping the younger guys get used to college cross country,” he said. “I hope to make cross country nationals and possibly compete for an All-America honor. That begins with trusting my coaches and running every day to the best of my ability and taking care of my body by utilizing the resources Wittenberg provides.”

Written By: Bryn Wilhelmus '28