Luke Engelhardt’s career arc, in a sense, has come full circle.

And brought him home.

Engelhardt, a 2004 Yorkville graduate, received his first coaching job while a senior in college at Aurora University. Yorkville athletic director Seth Schoonover hired Engelhardt as a freshman basketball coach.

A decade or so later, Engelhardt is returning to Yorkville to succeed the retiring Schoonover. Engelhardt was approved as Yorkville’s AD in March, with his first official day July 1.

He’s been assistant AD at West Aurora the last three years.

“For me, it’s a real unique opportunity to go back to Yorkville,” Engelhardt said. “What brings me back is the relationship with people in the community. It’s a great place to live and work. The athletics will continue to grow and be competitive and successful in the state for the years to come.”

Engelhardt played golf, basketball and baseball at Yorkville, and went on to play basketball for three seasons and baseball for one at Aurora.

He coached freshman boys basketball and varsity golf after being hired at Yorkville, and was varsity girls basketball coach for six seasons before being hired as West Aurora assistant AD in 2016. He posted winning records in the last five of those seasons at Yorkville, going 25-3 in 2015-2016, his final season.

Hired as a physical education teacher in 2008, he was department chair of PE, health and driver’s education his last school year.

An AD position was always a career goal.

“I feel like everybody has a job and a calling,” Engelhardt said. “What I hope to do is take what I love, a passion for sports, and help develop the leaders of the future, help coaches develop those leaders and provide the best opportunities for them. I want to establish a positive vibe and make this a place where student athletes want to compete and coaches want to work well in a place we can be proud of.”

Engelhardt has had a front-row seat to Yorkville’s growth as a community, school and athletic program.

Yorkville’s girls basketball, baseball and softball programs each won their first Class 4A regional titles in 2017. The girls cross country program has taken second in Class 3A the last three years, since moving up to the state’s largest class. The football program reached the second round of the playoffs last fall.

“The school is doing a goob job of keeping up with the growth and the times,” Engelhardt said. “The athletic program had to go through some growing pains; I remember as a coach going to the four-class system, and going to the biggest class, but now we are seeing the success starting to take place. We’re not going to get any smaller. You develop your feeder, middle school, elementary programs and it starts to show.”

The biggest athletic change at Yorkville next school year will be the school’s move into the Southwest Prairie Conference. With his time at West Aurora, which is also joining the SPC, Engelhardt has a unique perspective to this move.

“Two completely different circumstances, finding that competitive balance,” Engelhardt said. “For Yorkville, the Northern Illinois Big 12 was a great conference and fit a need, but now that’s no longer an option. Yorkville is fortunate to get into a league like the SPC. I think it will be a good fit. I think Yorkville will hold its own.”