Ten years after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, cancer survivor Kevin McDowell of Geneva took sixth place in the individual triathlon on Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics – the highest finish ever by an American man in Olympic triathlon history. Now the 28-year-old McDowell has his sights set on gold in the team event at his first Olympics.

Liza Fruendt, who starred at Batavia, graduated from Missouri State in 2018 after playing there collegiately and spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, is back in basketball after a year off as an assistant coach at Tennessee.

St. Francis rising junior TJ McMillen, one of the area's top recruited football players, also helped lead his varsity baseball team to conference, regional and sectional championships. McMillen is the 2021 Kane County Chronicle Chronicle Male Athlete of the Year.

Batavia junior Katrina Schlenker won won the Class 3A cross country sectional championship in 17 minutes, 5.64 seconds. In track, Schlenker took sixth in the 1600 and 11th in 800 at the state meet. Schlenker is the 2021 Chronicle Female Athlete of the Year.

Kane County Cougars outfielder Anthony Ray had special bond with Josiah Viera, one of the inspirations of the 2016 New York-Penn League championships. Viera was featured on E:60 and later died in 2018.

St. Charles East junior Micah Wilson, who won the Class 3A 3,200-meter run at state for the program's first individual state track championship, is the 2021 Kane County Chronicle boys track and field Athlete of the Year.

Burlington Central senior Brooke Barkocy, who won the Class 2A state championship in the 300-meter hurdles, is the 2021 Kane County Chronicle Girls Track Athlete of the Year.

Led by St. Charles North senior Nick DeMarco, here is the 2021 Kane County Chronicle All Area Team.

St. Charles North senior Nick DeMarco is the 2021 Kane County Chronicle Baseball Player of the Year.