It was just supposed to be a normal track meet to kick off the outdoor season for Bennett Konkey.

That’s what the Geneva junior was thinking when he stepped into the blocks for the 100-meter dash at a DuKane Conference triangular meet back on April 14 at Wheaton-Warrenville South. It was his first outdoor race at full strength since his freshman season.

“I was hoping for like a 10.5, maybe 10.4 in the 100 at that meet,” Konkey said. “That’s where I thought I was going to be with my top speed and how fast I had been during the offseason and indoor.”

So when he crossed the finish line and saw a 10.25 beside his name on the scoreboard, it didn’t take long for him to realize that it wasn’t just a normal track meet. It was the start of something very special.

“After I ran that time I remember the entire crowd going ‘Whoa’ at the exact same time and everybody going crazy,” Konkey said. “And I was just like ‘holy crap.’ That just confirmed my thinking during the offseason that I actually had a chance to win a state championship in both the 100 and 200.”

That sort of reaction became a consistent for Konkey as the year progressed. He finished the season winning all but one race between the 100 and 200, and would finish off his season with state titles in both events, the first in Geneva boys track and field history.

Considering the accolades, Konkey has been named the 2026 Kane County Chronicle boys track and field Athlete of the Year.

“It was just an incredible year for that young man,” Vikings coach Boone Thorgesen said. “It’s great to see all of the hard work he put in come to fruition at the end of the year with two state titles. It was really cool to see, especially for such a tremendous kid and athlete.”

Konkey’s emergence to the top of the sprinting world caught many across the state by surprise. Prior to the season, he entered with personal-best times of 11.02 in the 100 and 22.62 in the 200.

A lot of that was due to a hamstring injury in February 2025 that sidelined him for a majority of his sophomore track season. But after playing an entire football season with the injury still in effect, the junior decided to put all his offseason focus into resting the injury.

“If I didn’t take that rest period, I don’t think I’d be where I am right now,” Konkey said. “I just had to focus on my body and let it rest. I play sports year-round and I never get time to rest. So I talked to my parents and we agreed that I just needed to stop since it was the one thing I hadn’t done, and it paid off in the end.”

But for both Konkey and Thorgesen, it was an emergence that was more so him finally showing his full potential.

“We knew we had something special when he qualified for state in the 100 as a freshman,” Thorgesen said. “We always knew this could be a possibility just by the way he’s progressed and how he came into the school as a freshman.”

Konkey’s 100 time would not be touched for the entire season, finishing as the best time in the state. His time of 21.00 in the 200, which he ran at the Kane County meet, was the second-fastest mark in the state.

His success on the track also caught the eyes of multiple NCAA Division I football programs. After entering the spring with zero offers, Konkey ended the track season with 16 D-I offers, including one from Illinois, to which he officially announced his commitment Tuesday.

“Speed translates from track to the football field and vice-versa,” Thorgesen said. “We were waiting for something like this to happen, and we knew it was going to eventually. But the way his recruiting stock exploded so quickly was really cool to be a part of and for him to get the recognition he deserved.”

Konkey has said that he plans to graduate early from high school to focus on football, making his junior season his final one out on the track.

“Ending on a state championship, it’s the best way to go out,” Konkey said. “There’s no better way to go out of track season. Obviously I wish I could run track next year, get another state championship, but I’ve just got bigger priorities with football.”

But even with his time on the track cut short, there’s no doubt that he’s left his mark in the history books at Geneva.

“Watching him work and continue to better himself has just been a joy to watch and I couldn’t be happier for the fastest man in Illinois,” Thorgesen said. “He’s obviously got our school records in both those events, and I don’t think those are going to be beaten very soon, or even at all.”