For those who didn’t see Sunday’s newspaper, I’m proud to announce that James Brundage is the Journal News Westchester/Putnam Winter Athlete of the Season. This means that of all the premier athletes in every winter sport (basketball, hockey, swimming, etc) Brundage was the most impressive.

I’d like to say I fought hard for his nomination but it didn’t take much fighting. He was close to a slam dunk winner. The editors here all thought he was deserving. And why not? His state title was the biggest reason Section 1 wrestling became an entity again.

In my story I wrote about Brundage’s relationship with a Gulf War veteran who lives in a VA hospital in Montrose. Brundage made him a special promise this season and followed through. You can read about it here.

In Rockland, the wrestler of the year was Steven Ramos of Clarkstown North. Ramos switched from a crossface cradle to a crab ride this season and it took him to a bronze medal in the state. Read about his decision to change here.

You can also get all the other all-star capsules and photos. Second-team and honorable mention are available too. Scroll to the bottom of the pages and click “Other accolades.”

For the Westchester/Putnam All-Stars, click here.

For the Rockland All-County, click here.

To access your sport of choice just click the photo of the corresponding player of the year.

James Brundage today signed a letter of intent with Rider University. The Ossining senior will wrestle for the Lawrenceville, NJ school next season.

He told me yesterday that the final college list came down to three choices: Virginia, Boston University, and Rider. Virginia was probably his top choice since he grew up down there and his mom and sister still live in Virginia. UVA only offered a partial scholarship, though. He stressed how much he didn’t want to leave school in debt. That left BU and Rider, both of which offered full rides.

The Rider pick came down to two factors. First, it was closer to home. James’s dad came to almost all of his matches this season and he wants him to be able to see him some in college too. Lawrenceville, which is just north of Trenton, is about two hours from Ossining. Boston is twice that.

The second factor was class size. BU has over 18,000 undergrads. Rider has 6,500. Brundage said he didn’t want to be an anonymous name at the back of an auditorium. He wants small classes where professors know his face. Another point for Rider.

It didn’t hurt that a Rider wrestler, Doug Umbehauer, just placed third at the NCAA tournament and earned All-America status. It’s proof that the wrestling room of 30-year coach Gary Taylor is still cranking out top competitors.

I also learned that Brundage’s teammate Clay Neivert, another sectional champ, has decided on SUNY Brockport.

Last time I spoke to the wrestlers, which was during or just after the season, nobody had made up their minds about college. I figure those decisions have to be made soon, no?

So I’m putting out a call to all parents, fans, and wrestlers in Section 1. Are you a senior who’s going to wrestle in college or do you know one? I’d like to start collecting college committments and post them on the blog. A lot of people are interested in who’s wrestling at the next level.

If you know something or even if you just heard something, give me a heads-up and I’ll make the phone calls. You can email me at jtthomas@Lohud.com or leave a comment on this blog post.