When it comes to cross country tradition, few schools are in the same league as Fort Collins. Colorado Track XC file photo.
One way of measuring cross country tradition is to look at the history of teams at the state championships (in the next article to publish, we'll take a look at individuals at the state championships).
Beginning with the 1977 season when the race distance expanded from two to three miles (girls cross country began in 1978, and the race distance was extended to 5K in 1981), here is a list of the first, second, and third place finishes at state accumulated by all schools in Colorado:
| State Team Places, 1977 - Present | |||||||||
| Boys | Girls | Total | |||||||
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
| Air Academy | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||
| Alamosa | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Alpine Christian | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Antonito | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Arapahoe | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Arvada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Arvada West | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Aspen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Basalt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Battle Mountain | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Bayfield | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Bear Creek | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||
| Boulder | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Buena Vista | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Brush | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Canon City | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Castle View | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Centauri | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | |
| Centennial | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Center | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
| Cherokee Trail | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Cherry Creek | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Cheyenne Mountain | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Clear Creek | 1 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Colorado Academy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Colorado Spgs Christian | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Coronado | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
| Crested Butte | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Dakota Ridge | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Denver Christian | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Denver Lutheran | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Denver South | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| Denver West | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| D'Evelyn | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Doherty | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| Durango | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
| Erie | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Estes Park | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Evergreen | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Fairview | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 3 | |
| Faith Christian | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Falcon | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Florence | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Fort Collins | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 7 |
| Fort Lupton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Fountain-Fort Carson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Fountain Valley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| George Washington | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Grand Junction | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Greeley Central | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Greeley West | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Green Mountain | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Gunnison | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Harrison | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Heritage | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Highlands Ranch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| Hotchkiss | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Ignacio | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
| Kent Denver | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Lake County | 13 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 5 | 5 |
| Lamar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Lewis-Palmer | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | |
| Lakewood | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Liberty | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |||
| Loveland | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Lyons | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Machebeuf | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Mancos | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Manitou Springs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Middle Park | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Moffat County | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Monte Vista | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Montrose | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |||
| Mountain View | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Mountain Vista | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Mullen | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Nederland | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Niwot | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Northglenn | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Pagosa Springs | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||
| Palmer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Peak to Peak | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Peyton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Pine Creek | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Platte Canyon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Pomona | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Poudre | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Pueblo Centennial | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Pueblo Central | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Pueblo East | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Ralston Valley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Rampart | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Rangeview | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Regis Jesuit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Rocky Ford | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Rocky Mountain | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||
| Roosevelt | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Salida | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Sangre de Cristo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Sargent | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Sheridan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Smoky Hill | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Steamboat Springs | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Sterling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Telluride | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| The Classical Academy | 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 3 | |
| Thomas Jefferson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Thompson Valley | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | ||
| Wasson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Wheat Ridge | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Wiggins | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Windsor | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Woodland Park | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
From this list, we see several interesting facts. Among them...
1. Boulder has an amazing proclivity for finishing in second as a team, whether boys or girls.
2. Several teams that were once fairly strong cross country programs no longer participate in the sport.
3. It will be a long time before anyone rivals Lake County in the race to the top in number of podium finishes. It should be noted as well that Lake County had several boys' state championships prior to the time this tally begins.
4. In the 80s and 90s, nobody among the larger schools rivaled Green Mountain for being consistently at the top.
5. Although western slope teams have been sparsely represented among podium teams of late, schools like Durango, Aspen, Moffat County, and Grand Junction have experienced some serious runs of podium finishes.