Sophia Schaffer signed up for track and field as a freshman to stay in shape for soccer.

Three years later, the Northwestern Lehigh junior is the centerpiece of a Tigers girls track team that ran the table in the Colonial League, which helped her earn the 2026 Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year Award.

Not bad for a side project.

It’s also the second straight TN/LVHN award on Schaffer’s mantle. She was named the 2025 Girls Soccer Player of the Year last fall, and she carried that momentum straight through the spring.

“When I look at Sophia back in her freshman year — yes, she was fast. Her position coach (and girls soccer coach) Jordan Smith gets a lot of girls out for track and field for us, which is really beneficial,” said Chuck Groller, Northwestern Lehigh’s track and field head coach.

“A lot of her friends were freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. They just look up to her because she’s a leader both in soccer and track and field. Over the years, I’ve seen the progress, and she’s taken on more of that leadership.”

Schaffer’s fingerprints were all over the girls unbeaten league season and Colonial League West title. She finished third in the 200 meters at leagues, placed ninth in the long jump, and ran legs on the 4x100 and 4x400 relays that finished third and fourth.

Her versatility is the major story. Schaffer is a sprinter, a jumper, and a relay piece depending on what the meet sheet asks her to be.

“I pride myself on being adaptable and being able to adjust my strategy in all those different events,” Schaffer said.

“It’s going to change what I’m in on a week-to-week basis, but I’m okay with that,” she said. “I like being versatile and being able to do a bunch of different events.”

A few years ago, she was in it for the conditioning, but what she got was so much more than that.

“I’ve been pretty fast my whole life, so I knew I wanted to get involved in sprinting, and then I started to do long jump just for fun. But overall, it turned into more than that.”

Schaffer turned into a multi-event star. So, what’s her favorite?

“That’s actually a way harder question than you would expect,” she said.

The relays win the popularity contest — the 4x1 for the bond with three teammates, the 4x4 for the closing-event adrenaline. For an open event, she enjoys the 200.

“The one and the four are the extremes of sprinting, but the two is the happy medium for me personally,” Schaffer added.

Groller noted that Schaffer averaged between 13-15 points per meet last season.

“Basically, she was our top point-getter this year in all of our track and field meets, which helped us win the West Division Championship for the Colonial League for 2026,” he said.

Schaffer said her favorite meet of the season came at the Blue Mountain Invitational, where she had a strong individual day, and the relays clicked.

“There was a really good energy at that meet, and it was just super fun,” she said. “Everyone was there supporting each other.”

That’s the part Schaffer keeps circling back to. For all the medals and winning, she noted the Tigers’ togetherness and camaraderie.

And that’s what it’s all about.

“When people think of track, they think of it as an individual sport,” she said. “But the way our team is structured, the coaches really prioritize the team.

“Obviously, they want us to do well individually, but they try to move things around so that we do what we can for the team to win.”

She made a point to shout out the entire coaching staff — not just the ones who handle her events.

“At Northwestern, our track coaches do a really great job supporting athletes who don’t do their events,” Schaffer said. “They put so much time into teaching and coaching me this season, and I’m really grateful.”

On deck is Schaffer’s senior year, and Schaffer knows defending the Colonial League West title will be a different climb.

She has individual targets, too — a league medal in the 200, and a pair of school records she’s within shouting distance.

“I’m hoping maybe I can get that too,” she said. “But we’ll see.”

If the last three years are any indication, Schaffer will continue to find another gear next spring.

“She’s one of the athletes that come through our program every so many years, Groller added. “It’s so great to see them develop, mature, and to watch them for those four years — a lot of memories.”