"Justin is a model head coach. As a former decathlete and steeplechase Olympic hopeful, he is knowledgeable in a wide variety of events. I know that distance and cross country was his main focus, but he would do his best to pop in on Throwers practice, Jumps practices, and sprints/hurdles. He was 1 man trying to juggle a roster of 40 women. He would continuously spend 11+ hour days running practices, planning meets, calling recruits, going to meets. The man did everything with what little resources Columbia College provided. I know he loved his students. I've never seen a man cry like he did when he told us the news of his firing. He was extremely passionate about the sport and his students. If there are other colleges out there looking for the best coach ever, please hire Justin Bishop and you won't be disappointed."

"He encouraged, listen and pushed my daughter to believe in herself. Raised her confidence, celebrated her victories, lifted her up when she felt she had failed and puahed her to try new things. "

"From things I have heard about Coach Bishop, is that is by far one of the best coaches out there. He cares about his team and motivates them to do there best. I would highly recommend him as a coach. His is great. "

"Coach Bishop is a great leader, and very passionate about coaching. He is dedicated to each and everyone of his athletes. "

"As a former sprinter/hurdler of Coach Bishop, I 150% recommended. He is very knowledgeable about pretty much every track and field event, from javelin to the 100m dash to the 400m hurdles to the 1000m - HE’S YOUR GUY! He always provided resources to get better, if you truly wanted to. I remember having a problem with flailing my arms going over hurdle, Coach Bishop used to stand beside the hurdle literally volunteering himself to potentially get hit — just to make me better and faster. Coach Bishop coached me to make history at Columbia College —He coached me to placing 4th at nationals as a freshman also making me CC’s first Track and Field All-American. Even after experiencing injuries and some medical issues from a car accident - Coach Bishop remained understanding and supportive. I’ve never seen or heard him not push an athlete to be better but you have to trust the process!! He’s the type of coach to cheer you on, record your race, and set up time to review your performance and provide insight. Other side of athletics, Coach Bishop knew about my desire to attend law school and become an attorney after undergrad. He offered to connect me with people he knew in the field (who also were runners) and wrote me a compelling recommendation that helped get me into a top law school. He makes sure his athletes stay on top of their grades and study hall hours. I could spend all day and night singing Coach Bishops praises because he was that great of a coach. While everyone has their own experiences, I feel that it’s only fair to write a review on Coach Bishop as a Coach. The track and field program being underfunded and considering that there is a huge gap between the athlete to coach ratio. When I was an athlete at CC, Coach Bishop was not only a Cross Country Coach, He was also over Long Distance, Throws, Jumps, Multis, and has even coached Sprints/Hurdles until a second coach was hired. Coach Bishop shouldn’t be to blame for what ultimately falls back on the athletic department’s funding for each sport. As the largest team on campus, more funding should be provided. "

"Coach Bishop has been instrumental in the success of my daughter. His dedication to the team and compassion he shows to his athletes through their adversity cannot be replaced. "

"Gave me a chance when no other schools did. Turned me into a swiss army knife of an athlete and through his leadership Im heading to nationals. He has his biases towards Distance but he doesn't play favorites and he keeps it 100% honest. He is a great coach if you are willing to put in the work and meet him half way"

"Great coach, fun personality, will always help you be successful, leads the team to victory always."

"From 2019 to 2023, I participated in track and cross country under Bishop's guidance. Bishop played a pivotal role in shaping me into the best version of myself as an athlete, consistently believing in my abilities. During my time at CC, I progressed from a 23-minute 5k runner to completing marathons and achieving a sub-19 minute 5k. Bishop's passion for running is evident, and he dedicates an impressive amount of time to ensure the optimal development of his athletes. His commitment to their well-being, both physically and mentally, is steadfast. Bishop stands up for his athletes, valuing them deeply, and goes above and beyond, making sacrifices for the team that few other coaches would consider. Bishop is truly exceptional and serves as a commendable role model for CC. He transformed my athletic journey, and I credit much of my success to his unwavering support and guidance. Since 2018, Bishop has consistently trained back-to-back champions, solidifying his status as an outstanding role model and coach. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to be under his mentorship."

"Bishop is the type of coach you feel comfortable trusting with your kids. He is knowledgeable of the sport and can easily explain why the workouts are structured the way they are and why it will make you a better athlete. You have to open yourself to his process in order to be successful, you can’t have the mindset that you know better because he has years over all of this athletes "

"Coach Bishop, has been monumental to multiple athletes success, on the track and off the track. From having years of bad coaches, and unsupportive teammates, Bishop is that 1% to make you fall in love with the sport again "

"I'd like to bring attention to the amazing things Coach Justin Bishop has done. The schools Track and Feild team has won 5 or more championships, in 2022 we won both indoor and outdoor thanks to Coach Justin Bishop. Our schools Cross County team has been on the rise since he became head of it. This year alone he has half the cross country team going to nationals! He also has the strongest Marathon team the school has ever seen. The Track and Cross Country teams are constantly improving times and school records! When we lost a teammate Akiah McMillan last year, BISHOP organized a memorial for her at the school, HE invited her family to come and hear stories and memories from us, her teammates about her, HE named our home Cross Country meet after her, in her memory!!! Justin Bishop has done nothing that wouldn't boost our schools image and help boost us Athletes moral. As an athlete that ran under him, HE is the one that saved me. He helped show me and push me to reach a goal I never thought was possible! Anytime myself or my teammate were hurting emotionally or physically he selt us to the trainer and or told us to take the day off to focus on us."

"Bishop was the reason I came to Columbia College. I was not planning to run after high school. He offered me a scholarship to run cross-country and track. I didn't even really like track in high school but Bishop made practices fun. He encouraged me every race that I can get better and help the team score some points at conference. I got a few points for the team, and we WON! He never left an athlete behind and will work with anybody even if you were the slowest kid. I know because I was prbably the third slowest on the team NGL."

"When I was a student at CC, we went through 3 head coaches in 4 years. Although Bishop was the assistant coach during my time, I saw how he dedicated his time to all athletes. I was a distance runner and he provide mentorship for marathon training, yet respected the boundaries set by our head coach. He didn’t overstep or cross any lines. If anything, he collaborated with our head coach to ensure I got record times in all events, not only the marathon. I am not sure why there are comments saying he favorites distance runners when he is a decathlete himself. He is passionate about all events and knows they work in harmony to score points. If anything, non distance events score the most in track due to the talent of AAC distance runners. CC relies heavily on racewalk, sprints, and throws to score. Therefore, Bishop actually spends more time perfecting their craft. CC wins conference in track because of other disciplines outside of distance. Yes there are individually talented distance runners, but as a team, track shines due to his focus on other events. Distance gets attention during cross country season because… well, they are in season. And outside of track, Bishop was the most accommodating human being. I was dealing with an autoimmune disease that eventually took away my balance and hearing. Bishop supported me through it and made sure my plan didn’t trigger symptoms and that he was there to help me if I fell. "

"Coach Justin Bishop works to improve every athletes performance both running and in the classroom. "

"Coach Bishop helped me not only athletically but has helped me also grow my confidence outside of my sport. I would not want to run for another coach!"

"Coach Bishop has meen a monumental figure in my first year of collegiate athletics. He has consistently been there for me as a runner, student, and person. His training style and excellent coaching has allowed me to achieve things I never thought possible. I can say with full confidence that all I have achieved this year is significantly due to the effort and time he has dedicated to me."

"Coach Bishop has been a father figure for these couple of years. He's a knowledgable and passionate coach. He believes in all the athletes that put work in, even if they don't believe it themselves."

"One of the most knowledgeable and dedicated coaches I know. Has had great success and cares about his athletes beyond compare. 10 out of 10 would recommend to any."

"Bishop is the goat. Nothing but PRs. Makes practices fun! And we win!"

"Coach Bishop is very approachable and passionate about what he does. He is invested in every single athlete and is a great motivator. His dedication and coaching expertise are unmatched. "

"He cares and understands and will get you to where you wanna be "

"Great coach , great person , caring "

"Great and responsive. Knowledgeable on his field and understands and willing to take criticism. "

"Coach Bishop was an extraordinary coach and mentor to me. Continuously supported all of his athletes not just top performers even after graduation. He coaches with intention and purpose, he always explained what the benefits are of the exercise or circuit we are working on and how it correlates to our specific event. A very memorable coach and I hope for nothing but success for his future teams."