Jags' Tamar Brown is Athlete of the Winter Season for West Bloomfield

Thousands of votes were cast to celebrate the region’s top athletes from the winter season and in West Bloomfield, senior Tamar Brown was the Patch Athlete of the Winter Season.

Fans found creative ways to support their athletes, from sending out email blasts to posting on Facebook walls and tweeting.

All the nominees deserve recognition for their accomplishments.

The following athletes earned the most votes from their respective Patch communities and are the winners of the Athlete of the Season polls.

Congratulations! Please lend your own congratulations in the comments at the end of this story.

Brown tops Bahro in tight race

Loyal West Bloomfield readers showed up in big numbers voting for their favorite local athletes.

Over five days of voting, more than 2,500 votes were cast in a very tight contest. In the end, the Jaguars' senior guard Brown edged out wrestler sophomore Ross Bahro — 1,337 votes (51 percent) to 1,167 (45 percent) thanks to a on Friday afternoon.

Brown was key part of the Jaguars' girls basketball team’s turnaround this season.

In 2011, the team only had two wins. As a captain this year, Brown helped the team finish the season with a 9-11 overall record. She averaged 11 points per game on a team that averaged under 30 points a night. She accounted for at least half of the team’s points in four of her team’s games.

The other nominees, in order of finish: WBHS senior Sydni Davis, senior Max Dubin, and senior Chibunna Ukandu.

Around Oakland County

Bloomfield: Andover swimmer Joe Abrash led a strong field of candidates in the Bloomfield Hills Patch Athlete of the Winter Season vote. He won the poll with 63 percent of the vote (3,751 votes).

The co-captain of the Barons team finished All-State in three events at the Division 2 state finals. He finished in sixth place (21.95) in the 50 yard freestyle, seventh place in the 200 yard freestyle relay (1:28.54) and 400 yard freestyle relay (3:14.83).

Birmingham: Groves senior Grant Henderson won the Birmingham Athlete of the Winter Season with 69 percent of the vote (3,031 votes) despite a late charge from Seaholm's Tim List (876 votes; 28 percent).

Henderson was the Falcons varsity boys basketball team captain and earned All-OAA Gold Division first team honors for his play this season.

Troy: The swimming community in Troy showed up in big numbers to help sophomore Troy Chen easily win the Troy Athlete of the Winter Season poll.

Over five days of voting, Chen picked up 1,799 votes of the 2,145 cast. At the state finals, Chen took seventh place in the 200 IM with a time of 1:55.68 and tied for sixth in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.36.

Clawson: In the fall, Clawson senior Alli Costine was voted athlete of the season by for her performance on the school’s volleyball team. On Friday, she locked done the Clawson Patch Athlete of the Winter Season for season on the varsity girls basketball team with 76 percent of the vote (53 votes).

Costine earned first-team all-league honors in the Macomb Area Conference Silver division for her strong season. She led the Trojans in scoring and rebounding averaging over a double-double game for a second straight year.

Ferndale: Jordan Ellis led the charge in the Ferndale Athlete of the Winter Season poll like he did the varsity basketball team.

The senior won with 93 percent of the vote (515) and really never trailed in the polls. 

As the Eagles starting point guard, Ellis averaged over 10 points and five assists per game. He also was one of the team’s top 3-point shooters and defenders. He averaged 2.6 steals per game.

Royal Oak: Sami Stormont mounted a huge come back to take over the lead in the poll on the final day over Eric White, winning by 61 votes. Stormont picked up 700 of the 1,371 votes cast (51 percent) and White finished in second with 639 votes (46 percent).

For the Ravens varsity girls basketball team, Stormont put up monster numbers all season. The junior averaged more than 22 points per game on her way to earning Class A All-State First Team honors from the Associated Press. Back in January, she set a new Ravens record, and career high, with 42 points in a 62-44 win over Ferndale. 

Berkley: Stephen Wroe was the runaway winner in the Berkley Athlete of the Winter Season poll. The Berkley-Ferndale varsity hockey team goaltender won with 91 percent of the vote (123 votes).

The Bears won 20 of the 23 games Wroe started this season. He only allowed 1.44 goals a game, with a save percentage of .941. He was honored as part of the Division 1 All-State First team (voted on by the Michigan coaches association) and his coach awarded him team MVP.

Other Athletes of the Winter Season

Berkley: , sophomore, hockey
Birmingham: , senior, boys basketball
Bloomfield Hills-Bloomfield Township: , senior, swimming
Clawson: , senior, girls basketblal
Ferndale: , senior, boys basketball
Royal Oak: , junior, girls basketball
Troy: , sophomore, swimming
West Bloomfield: , senior, girls basketball