Track Stars, Volleyball Milestones, CUNY’s Biggest Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll and More: BMCC Athletics Is in Top Form

Things are heating up at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Athletics department.

“BMCC’s first Men’s Volleyball team had its first NJCAA competition, and they went as far as qualifying as the third seed for the inaugural Men’s Volleyball Regional Tournament at Monroe College,” says John Kelly, Jr., BMCC Sports Information Director.

Not only that, he says, “We had 19 student-athletes get Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll honors for the fall, tops among the CUNY two-year colleges.”

“The scholar athletes not only have to have a 3.2 or higher GPA, they also have to do really well in their sport,” says BMCC Director of Athletics and Recreation Matt Ruiz. “In fact, Women’s Soccer Team member Nathali Ocampo-Lopez earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.”

He says that the fall-to-spring retention rate is 92% for scholar athletes.

Altogether, they include Men’s Soccer team members Mohammed Alghanimi, Hamilton Azon, Nanga Adam Coulibaly, Moussa Diawara, Kosmas Fertitta-Boutis, Niklas Filippi, John Guzman, Billy Hoyos, Mikola Ivkovic, As Mouhamadou Ndiaye, Ademola Opesanwo and Abdoul Sinare; Women’s Soccer team members Yamile Bastidas, Nathali Ocampo-Lopez and Katelyn Walrond-Scott; Women’s Volleyball team members Marie Claire Hurtado and Crystal Saw; Men’s Cross Country team member Trent Santoro and Women’s Cross Country team member Lea Reimer.

These outstanding athlete scholars helped build the momentum of the College’s recent wins—which also include Track and Field.

“Lea Reimer and Tatenda Chikanyairo are the Outdoor Track and Field Program’s first-ever individual qualifiers,” Sports Information Director Kelly says. “Business Management majors Christian Davis and Josh Germain, Business Administration major Kwame Brempong and Liberal Arts major Dontate Creedland, who run for our 4×100 relay team, are the program’s first-ever teams to qualify for Nationals.”

“Lea is the program’s most accomplished runner this season,” he adds.

“She was the first-ever NJCAA Division III Runner of the Week. She won the two-year individual CUNYAC Championship in women’s cross country while notching two first-place finishes—in both the Women’s Mile and 3000 meters events—at the 2024 CUNYAC Indoor Track and Field Championships.”

“Things that seem impossible, are sometimes possible.”

Lea Reimer grew up in Germany, moved to New York in 2021 and worked as an au pair for two years before enrolling at BMCC in Fall 2023.

She spent her childhood in the small west German town of Paderborn, alongside an identical twin sister.

“We did everything together,” Reimer says. “She finished my sentences. We had the same friends.”

They were even on their high school volleyball team together.

“I was the center, and she was the outside hitter,” Reimer says. “We earned second best team in Germany. We travelled for competitions and made Number One as a team in West Germany.”

As exciting as that was, “I wanted to create my own life,” she says. “I moved to New York so I could find my own path.”

“At first, I ran as a hobby,” she says. “I connect it with being free and getting all the thoughts out of your mind after a stressful day. I ran the New York City Marathon in 2023 for the first time after thinking I would never be able to do that and it made me realize, ‘Okay, things that seem impossible, are sometimes possible.’ Work hard and you will get there.”

Joining the BMCC Track and Field team was kind of a lucky accident.

“I showed up to see if I could try out for the volleyball team,” Reimer says. “The volleyball coach wasn’t there but I met someone from the track team, another student who asked me if I’m interested in running and I said, ‘Yes, but I just do it for fun.’”

By then, BMCC’s track and field coach, Fawzia Kheir, had joined the conversation.

“She thought I looked like a runner,” Reimer says. “I told her I ran the New York Marathon and she said, ‘Great, let’s make a plan for you—you could join the cross-country team.’ So, I tried it and really liked it.”

“Work on breathing skills and form, while building speed with each lap.”

Reimer credits Coach Kheir for getting her into running. “Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” she says. “She really pushed me.”

She also credits her running partner, Accounting major Tatenda Chikanyairo.

“TC and I are a really good team together,” she says. “We’re the only distance runners on the team. We work out together and go to the competitions together. We both qualified for the 10K. We push each other. He’s really dedicated and so am I.”

Chikanyairo grew up in Australia and Zimbabwe. He moved to New York in 2019 at age 18 with his parents.

After enrolling at BMCC, he checked out the opportunities to join a varsity team.

“I was one of the first cross country program members at BMCC and then when they recruited for track and field sport, I fell in love with the sport,” he says.

Running, he says, “is a really cool feeling.”

“I feel like I’m running at the speed of sound. My favorite event or at least one of my favorites would be the 5K,” he adds. “I’m a distance runner. I love the fact that it gives you the opportunity to work on your breathing skills and form, while you build speed with each lap. It’s a thrilling feeling.”

After graduating from BMCC, Chikanyairo plans to attend Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, which awarded him a $5,000 scholarship.

Coach Kheir recommended Farleigh Dickinson because it’s a Division 1 school, he explains.

“She looked at it as an opportunity for me to further my running skills and someday join their track team.”

Academics and athletics go hand in hand.

As Director of Athletics and Recreation, Matthew Ruiz oversees 13 NJCAA Division III intercollegiate teams at BMCC.

“This means everything from scheduling games and making sure we’re in compliance with national rules, to overseeing the BMCC Fitness Center, swimming pool and gymnasium,” says Athletics and Recreation Director Ruiz, who played high school basketball in Inwood, on Long Island.

He underscores the importance of keeping a balance between athletics and academics: “We try to emphasize our mandatory study halls, our commitment, what we provide, and what we expect of our student athletes.”

In Summer 2023, Ruiz says, BMCC offered summer classes to potential student athletes who had graduated high school in May.

Besides familiarizing themselves with the BMCC campus and surrounding neighborhood at 199 Chambers Street, the incoming freshmen got to know peers who share a passion for sports and reaching their best selves.

Stay fit, follow BMCC sports and cheer for the home team.

Stay up to date on the latest BMCC sports news and attend home games in the BMCC gymnasium at 199 Chambers Street, second floor of the north building at the College’s main campus. The award-winning BMCC Cheerleading Squad—which is housed in BMCC’s Office of Student Affairs—keeps game spirit high.

Visit the Spring 2024 recreation schedule and stay in shape with the BMCC Fitness Center and state-of-the-art swimming pool, all of which are available for students, faculty and staff with proper IDs. (Alumni are allowed access to the swimming pool but not the fitness center or recreation classes.)

For those interested in trying out for a BMCC sports team, learn more about the BMCC Athletics Program and student-athlete eligibility.

The BMCC Athletic program encompasses 13 varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level. These include Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Cross Country, Esports, Track and Field, Soccer and Volleyball teams, as well as Men’s Baseball.

Follow the Panthers on Instagram (@bmcc_athletics) and Twitter (@BMCCAthletics), and Facebook (BMCC Athletics).