Owen Horeni was, in a sense, born to run.

The recent Yorkville graduate played soccer growing up, like his parents.

His parents also ran, and the family neighborhood had a sort of running club, so Horeni grew up around running. Horeni ran with his dad, and ran intramurals in elementary school.

Horeni can still remember competing at the Fox Trot Middle School Invitational, where he took third while in sixth grade.

“Growing up in that community, I was almost born into it,” Horeni said. “That race was a big eye opener for me. I thought maybe I could compete.”

Coming to Yorkville High School with a running pedigree, Horeni left as one of the school’s most decorated runners.

Horeni at this year’s IHSA state track and field meet placed second in the Class 3A 800-meter run, his fifth state medal.

That came on the heels of placing third at the Class 3A state cross country meet in the fall, the best finish ever by a Yorkville runner in Class 3A.

Horeni is the Record Newspapers boys track and field Athlete of the Year.

“Honestly, it all went better than I could have expected,” Horeni said in reflecting on his high school career. “Coming in, I wanted to be successful. Watching it all pay off, looking back and reflecting, it’s been a ride and so fun. It’s a sport that nobody else can claim your successes. So happy with how I have grown as a runner and grown as a person.”

Horeni, who will run collegiately at Notre Dame, is not quite done with his track season. He will compete at New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia, running the 800 and 1-mile.

He checked off a huge personal goal on June 4 at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis, finishing the 800 in 1:48.58.

“It really is a huge mental thing for me,” Horeni said. “I had gone 1:54 my freshman year, 1:52 as a sophomore, 1:51 junior year. It was a huge step up for me. Huge for me knowing that I could break that barrier.

“It was so much fun, I loved racing there. It was a brand new experience and I capitalized on that opportunity. It meant a lot coming back from state and not running as well as I wanted to run.”

Horeni, who was looking for his first state title in the 800 after finishing second as a junior, took to the lead in that race with 350 meters to go. But he was passed by Washington’s Ben Gorsage with 100 to go, settling for another second-place finish in 1:51.07.

“I want to say it was a learning experience at state,” Horeni said. “It was less of a racing maturity thing and more of a mental thing. It happened, happy for Ben, it happened, now it’s time to move on. It was a heart-breaker a little, happens to everybody but racing that next week and finishing on top [in St. Louis] was a cherry on top.”

The race at state was one of only two open races that Horeni did not win this spring.

The other race was a huge moment for Horeni. At the prestigious Arcadia Invitational on April 11 in California, Horeni took third in 1:50.25, at the time the No. 1 800 time by an Illinois runner and seventh-best nationally.

“It was awesome,” Horeni said. “Arcadia was a race that I watched as a freshman and sophomore, junior year I figured out a way to get out there and race the 800, a huge experience, and I didn’t race as well as I wanted to. Senior year I felt confident, felt in the time schedule that it was an introduction to championship racing.”

Horeni went on to beat the time with a 1:50.18, and also won the 1,600 at conference and at sectionals. He recorded a season-best 4:09.77 1,600 to win Distance Night at Palatine.

“It was a grind the entire season knowing that I had the end goal in mind of winning state. There were a lot of ups and downs, but mainly ups,” Horeni said. “It was definitely a year of growth for me.”

A huge year indeed it was for Horeni, but also Yorkville’s team.

The Foxes won the Southwest Prairie Conference championship for the first time, and also the sectional title.

“We have been working toward it since my freshman year,” Horeni said. “It’s been in our mind the entire time.”

Horeni admitted it’s a little hard to weigh long-term goals collegiately with the NCAA’s proposed “5-in-5″ age-based eligibility model for Division I athletes, but he does have some short-term goals in mind.

“One goal is I want to make the ACC roster for either cross country, indoor track or outdoor track. It’s a big goal because the ACC is so competitive,” Horeni said. “It will be a grind but I’m excited to move on, move into Notre Dame and get settled.”