The first week of Athlete of the Year voting has concluded, and six local athletes have moved on to the final round. 

This week, 12 new boys and 12 new girls are up for consideration. 

Athlete of the Year voting will run each week starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday until 10 p.m. on Monday. Vote daily at lexingtonchronicle.com/athleteoftheyear 

Here is how the voting process works:

• June 19-23: Vote any athlete of your choice from 12 male and 12 female nominees; top three from each move on.
• June 26-30: Vote any athlete of your choice from a new set of 12 male and 12 female nominees; top three from each move on.
• July 3-7: Vote for the male and female Athletes of the Year from the remaining 12 nominees.
•  July 10: Winners announced!

Below is more information about each of the first week’s winners. 

Cade McNeill - Northside Christian 

Northside senior Cade McNeill is a three-sport athlete and was the 2024 Lexington County Chronicle Male Athlete of the Year. 

McNeill excelled on the basketball court and baseball field. He was also a member of the school’s cross-country team. McNeill averaged 11 points per game on the basketball team and hit 0.333 on the baseball field. 

This past season, McNeill was named All-State for cross country and has previous All-Region honors in basketball. He also excelled academically, graduating with honors as a member of the national honor society. 

Next year, McNeill will attend Truett McConnell University and run cross country, play basketball and run track.

Kell Daniel - American Leadership Academy

Kell Daniel is a rising senior at American Leadership Academy. Daniel is a multisport athlete, playing for the school's football, cross country, soccer and wrestling teams. 

Daniel is the kicker for the football team, a top runner on the cross country team and captain of the soccer team. 

He finished in third place in the  126 lb. weight class at the 2A South Carolina State Wrestling Championships. 

Yasir Cromer - River Bluff

Yasir Cromer concluded his senior year and capped one of the most successful careers in River Bluff basketball history.

This past season, Cromer crossed the 1,000 career point mark, becoming the first Gator to do so. He is now the school’s all-time leading scorer and is a two-time All-State selection. 

Cromer was named Region Player of the Year in 2025 after averaging a career-high 19 points and five assists per game. He also takes his academics seriously with interests in law and criminal justice. 

Next year, Cromer will continue his career at Francis Marion University.  

Maecy Wells - River Bluff

River Bluff’s Maecy Wells finished her Gator career as one of the most decorated swimmers in school history. 

Wells won three gold and a bronze medal at the SCHSL state championships this past season. She finished first in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke. She was part of the gold medal-winning 200-yard medley relay team and won bronze with the 200-yard freestyle relay team. 

Wells ends her gator career with five individual gold medals. She will continue swimming in college at West Virginia. 

Rory Travis - Gilbert

Rising senior Rory Travis excelled as a multisport athlete for Gilbert this season. 

Travis is a member of the Indians’ volleyball, track and wrestling teams. On the Volleyball court, she was one of the team's most consistent pieces, with 126 kills and a team-high 58 blocks. 

On the track, Travis earned All-State honors and was crowned state champion after winning a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 4A championships. 

As a wrestler, she qualified for state's three years in a row and helped get the Gilbert girls team started as its first wrestler. 

Izzy Saville - Lexington

Lexington’s Izzy Saville is an All-State lacrosse and basketball athlete. 

Saville led the Wildcats to great success on the court and in the field in 2024-25. She was a top scorer for both teams and also constantly found ways to get her teammates involved, racking up assists. 

She was explosive in the lacrosse team’s run through the playoffs, scoring five goals in each of the team’s final three games. Saville led the way as the Wildcats captured their first-ever girls lacrosse title. After the season was over, she was named a USA Lacrosse Academic All-American. 

Saville’s time at Lexington is up, but she will continue her athletic career at Lenoir-Rhyne, where she will play lacrosse and major in engineering.