Haley Yost is the lone senior on the Northwestern girls' 3200 meter relay team that includes three junior Lady Tigers.

And while the senior is just a year ahead of the other three distance runners Rachele Cerrone, Carly Pierce and Sabrina Mertz they look up to her as a mother figure throughout the season.

Yost's guidance on everything from proper training to healthy dieting helped the group to a first-place finish in the 3200 meter relay in leagues and districts last season.

"She's like our mom," Mertz said. "She always tells us what to eat and when to stretch."

With all four returning from last season's relay team, the Lady Tigers are looking to repeat as district and league champs in the event. That journey has already begun in the first two-plus weeks of practice.

"I would say to win it again, obviously," Yost said of the relay team's goal. "I was talking with coach about it, just improving off of last year and getting down more into the 9:24 range in time. Just dropping our time and improving."

"The expectation is there," distance coach Tim Churetta said. "They have a lot of pride in the relay. It's a relaxed atmosphere. Last year we had one junior and four sophomores they were always so relaxed."

The Lady Tigers ran a 9:28.64 at districts last year, over two seconds faster than second-place finisher Parkland, which ran a 9:30.89.

"We all have the dedication to do it, we all enjoy doing it, and we all love to win," Pierce said.

There's no question that everyone in the Colonial League and District 11 has their eyes set on dethroning the champs. But while the pressure may be at an ultimate high for these four Lady Tigers, they're not backing down from the challenge.

"Personally, I don't mind the pressure," Yost said. "We've dealt with it in cross-country already where we've come back as district champs. It's not really anything different from cross-country."

A number of solid distance runners have made their way through the Northwestern ranks over the years. Now, this group is looking to make a lasting name for themselves as well.

"I've seen them a lot more this winter than I did last year," Churetta said. "We've worked on a lot of different things to try to get us over some of the humps that we had last year, and prepare us a little bit in hopes of getting back to the state meet. But the expectation is there that we want to go for league and district titles again."