Erika Schaeffer is not your ordinary college student. Erika Shaeffer combines 6 a.m. workouts with her cross-country team, and at the same time maintains a 4.0 grade-point-average.

“I get into a routine and it works for me,” said Schaeffer, a 19-year-old Animal Science major at City College. “I have my day planned out, I stick to it.”

Schaeffer runs 30 to 40 minutes along Shoreline Drive, five days a week. Once finished, she heads back home to get ready for school.

“She is a very dedicated runner,” said head coach Scott Fickerson. “Her running has improved a lot and it shows from her consistency.”

At the beginning of the cross-country season, Schaeffer placed fifth at the Ventura Invitational. She trimmed 93 seconds off her time from last year at the same event.

“I was happy that I beat my old time,” Schaeffer said, finishing with a time of 21:27. “I know its one race but I want to get better.”

Schaeffer not only excels in athletics but also in the classroom. The sophomore sustained a 4.0 GPA last year. Her ultimate goal is to become a veterinarian.

“I worked with horses all last summer,” Schaeffer said. “I took care of them for the past six years.”

Schaeffer has not only impressed her coach but also her teachers with her work ethic.

Professor Nina Warner had Schaeffer in her Art 120 class, “The Fundamentals of Drawing,” last spring. Warner says that Schaeffer showed great discipline as well as being creative and having a natural ability in class projects.

“Erika engaged and interacted with other students,” Warner said. “She was focused, worked really hard, and showed a lot of discipline.”

Schaeffer ran four years of track at Newbury Park High School, where she ran the 100 to 300 meter hurdles in her first two years.

During her junior year, she joined cross-country hoping to improve her time in track. She realized almost immediately how much her sprint time improved.

“I was hooked after I joined,” Schaeffer said. “It helped me clear my mind. I enjoyed the change. I became a faster runner after joining.”

Teammates call her a “quiet leader,” quickly pointing out that she is a great teammate too.

“She leads by example,” said Dennis Johnson, a former club soccer player who took up cross-country last year. “She picks you up when you are down. She’s like a coach.”

Johnson, a 19-year-old cross-country teammate from Sweden, said that Schaeffer provides motivation for everyone around her.

“I used to run with the girls at the beginning of last year,” Johnson said. “I never ran cross-country before but when I ran with Erika, I became a better runner.”

One of Johnson’s fond experiences with Schaeffer is her generosity to teammates.

“I know it sounds funny but she would give us Oreo cookies after practice,” said Johnson. “She wants to include everyone.”

Whether achieving straight As in class or running cross-country invitationals, Schaeffer knows how to succeed on and off the field.