Bishop England track teams run with a rich history, tradition

Bishop England High School has one of the most successful track and field programs in the history of the Palmetto State. All the Bishops needed was just 25 years – and a move to their Daniel Island campus – to build their empire. 

Both teams won their first state championships in 2001. The rest is part of a rich history. 

The Bishop girls own a record 14 state championships entering the 2026 season and share the state record with a stretch of nine state titles in a row. 

The BE boys also have had success with four state championships and four runners-up finishes. 

Sure, the Bishops had track and field teams before then, but they didn’t have a home facility, which limited practices and the number of student-athletes who participated. One alum, Griffie Loy, still holds the state record in the discus with a throw of 196-6, set in 2013 

But that all changed when the Bishops moved to Daniel Island in time for the 1998-99 academic year, about the same time Phillip Bottelier and Tony Colizzi arrived on campus to resurrect the program and take it to new heights. 

While the new school didn’t originally have a track facility, the Bishops practiced at the Mount Pleasant Town Hall. Bottelier and Colizzi built the numbers, instructed their athletes, and stressed improvement every day. 

Finally, the hard work and commitment paid off. In May of 2001, the Bishop girls and boys both won their first state championships with impressive efforts at Spring Valley High School. As the results were announced over the stadium, the Bishop girls sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” when they learned they captured the top prize. 

Bottelier stepped down as coach after the state title, but Colizzi remained. He took over both the boys’ and girls’ programs, and the success didn’t slow as he built a juggernaut. The 2001 title was the first of nine consecutive titles earned by the girls. 

Colizzi earned two master's degrees at Old Dominion University and arrived at Bishop England in 1999. His first master’s was in oceanography, and his second was in education. 

Colizzi expected his athletes to work hard. He, however, did not expect so much success in such a short time. 

“I could never have imagined the teams winning as many state titles and region titles as they have,” Colizzi said. “When I took over the program, I had only one year of experience with track and field, so there was no way I could even think that we would have the success that we have had.” 

Colizzi did not run track in high school or college. He played baseball, tennis, and soccer during high school. He began running and focused on road races when he was a graduate student. When he arrived at BE in 1999, the school offered him an assistant coaching job in cross country and track and field. 

Colizzi had no experience in either sport, so he read several books about training for cross country and track and field. He also watched numerous videos that focused on how to coach the field events. 

Colizzi regularly talked with many veteran coaches in the Lowcountry about their training procedures. 

He learned his lesson well. Colizzi has also led the BE cross-country teams to a combined 11 state championships and 13 runners-up finishes. 

Today, he smiles when he talks about the early days of the program. 

“When BE moved to Daniel Island, there was not a track on the campus,” Colizzi said. “We had to practice at the town hall track in Mount Pleasant. It wasn’t ideal and we had to be off the track by a certain time so that the recreational track team could practice. 

“Bishop England did not get a track until the fall of 2001,” Colizzi continued. “I was actually out watching the track being built during the 9/11 terror attack.” 

Colizzi said the move to Daniel Island was great for BE athletics. He never coached at the campus downtown but knew the track teams struggled to find places to practice. 

“Building the new campus helped all sports at BE,” Colizzi said. “The athletes now had places to practice. Having a track has been a huge benefit. We do not have to drive to Mount Pleasant to practice and worry about the kids arriving. We can start practices earlier and finish earlier. We are also able to practice all of the field events, which we were not able to do at the town hall track. 

"Before the track was built, we were not able to practice the discus, pole vault, and high jump. The new track definitely helped us be successful.”  

Bishop England finally built a track and named it in honor of Carl Poole Jr. Poole passed away in 1993 at age 50. He graduated from BE in 1961. He attended Clemson where he ran track and set ACC records. He also ran for the U.S. Army team and participated at the U.S. Olympic trials. 

Janice Poole, Tommy Utsey, Mike Robinson, Jimmy Kerr and Chuck Eiserhardt led the fund-raising drive. 

While the student-athletes have different skill sets and backgrounds, they are united when it comes time to compete. 

“The common characteristic with many of the track and field members is they love to compete, train, and support each other,” Colizzi said. “Track and field are a great environment, and I would love to see more athletes get involved in track and field.” 

AT A GLANCE 

BISHOP ENGLAND GIRLS 

State Championships: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2023 (State record of 14; nine consecutive) 

State runners-up: 2015, 2022, 2024 

35 individual and 21 relay state champions 

Region Championships: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025  

BISHOP ENGLAND BOYS 

State championships: 2001, 2009, 2012, 2016 

State runners-up: 2002, 2011, 2013, 2014 

18 individual and 21 relay state champions 

Region Championships: 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025