In the past, the 4A girls' swimming giants of Valor Christian, Evergreen and Cheyenne Mountain, just to name a few, stood in the way of the smaller schools with dreams just as big.
Not anymore.
With the newly created 3A class, Manitou Springs, with its robust enrollment of 522 - or some 700 fewer than its competition at Cheyenne Mountain, for example - has a chance never before realized, to hoist a team title at the state meet in February.
The Mustangs finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the past two 4A meets. Their 200 freestyle relay team took first, and the 200 medley team finished a close second.
"We know we can accomplish something amazing this year," said senior Emily Dolloff-Holt, who recently signed a national letter of intent to attend school and swim at New Hampshire. "Why not us?"
If Manitou does become 3A's first girls' swimming champs, it will have overcome some adversity along the way, starting with Dolloff-Holt, a school record holder and captain who won't compete until mid-January. Five months ago at a club meet, she suffered a torn ligament in her right thumb and will undergo surgery Tuesday, or else risk losing all function of the appendage.
If that weren't enough, the Mustangs lost two star-studded seniors - Veronica Morin and Samantha White - to graduation, and incoming senior and state qualifier Kethrys Buffa decided to spend her senior year studying abroad in Italy.
But in their places, a pair of out-of-state transfers, along with a talented freshman class, figure to keep the Mustangs from sinking out of contention.
"We're building it back up," eighth-year Mustangs coach Roy Chaney said. "We've had some real surprises thus far. Having a 3A class, that will allow some of the 4A kids who were just a little off to get into the 3A finals. I think there's excitement on every level. We'll see how it turns out."
And the new class isn't just about team titles.
Dolloff-Holt reached the 4A finals in two events last February, placing third in the 100 butterfly and sixth in the 200 individual medley. Without the 4A competition alongside her, the path to the top step on the podium just became less imposing, but not easier.
She'll just have to wait, and cheer, before she's the one they're cheering on.
"As a captain, it'll be hard to not be swimming with the girls," said Dolloff-Holt, whose younger sister, Sydney, a sophomore, also is part of the state team at Manitou. "I can still encourage them and let them know if they get injured, it's not the end of the world. You can push through it and be optimistic about it. I want to be optimistic for them, to let them know that it'll be OK."
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