Final answer:
By setting up an equation based on the given ratios of athletes from different sports, it was determined that there were 18 cross country runners, 54 soccer players, and 108 football players at the banquet.
Step-by-step explanation:
In resolving the question about the distribution of student athletes among different sports at a banquet, let's define the variables as follows: let x represent the number of cross country runners, 3x the number of soccer players, and 2(3x) or 6x the number of football players. As there were 180 students in total, we can set up the equation x + 3x + 6x = 180, which simplifies to 10x = 180. Solving for x gives us x = 18. This means that there were 18 cross country runners, 54 (3x) soccer players, and 108 (6x) football players.