Borough of Manhattan Community College Director of Athletics & Recreation Borough of Manhattan Community College Director of Athletics & Recreation Matt Ruiz has announced the hiring of Fawzia Kheir as the next head coach of the Panther’s men’s and women’s cross country program. Kheir will take over the BMCC men’s and women’s cross country program in 2023 after serving as an assistant coach at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey, in 2021, during their inaugural season in the America East Conference.
Kheir brings an outstanding resume to a young BMCC men’s and women’s cross-country program as an assistant at NJIT and after a monumental athletic career at the NCAA and NJCAA levels for the Winston-Salem State University Rams and Essex County College Wolverines women’s cross-country and track and field programs.
As an assistant at NJIT in 2021 under head coach Al Alonso, Kheir assisted the staff in all aspects of the program, including an emphasis on middle-distance running. She teamed up with him to tutor Brian McGlew, an America-East All-Academic Honoree, who was NJIT’s top finisher in the program’s first-ever run during the 2021 America East Cross Country Championships.
Kheir was no stranger to high-level competition before jumping into the coaching ranks, having a tremendous career during her time at NCAA Division II Winston-Salem State in 2016, garnering numerous CIAA Individual Championships in the 3000, 1500, and 800 meters to go along with a CIAA Cross Country and Indoor Track Team championship. Kheir also captured NCAA Division II All-American Honors in the 800 meters and still holds Ram’s all-time program record in the event with a time of 2:10.10.
As a runner for the Essex County College Wolverine cross country and track and field program, Kheir was a six-time NJCAA Division I Track and Field All-American and two-time NJCAA Region XIX Cross Country Champion.
Kheir also made her mark as a competitor in the international level as a member of the Egypt National Track and Field Team in 2018, holding Egypt’s record in the 4×400 relay.
Kheir also was one of the top runners in Hudson County during her high school career at County Prep High School and Dickinson High School, holding the Hurricanes program record in cross country and 200, 400, 800, and 1600 meters in 2009, and the Rams program record in the 400, 800, and 1600 meters in 2011 with three First Team All-County selections across all three seasons (XC, Indoor, and Outdoor) from 2008-2012.
She received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Winston-Salem State University in 2017 and an Associate’s degree in General Science from Essex County College in 2014.
