Mandalov, 22, moved to Dimboola this year to from Adelaide after finishing university.

"I was applying for jobs after uni," she said.

"I applied for a job at Kaniva and was unsuccessful but they passed on my details to Dimboola, so that is how I ended up here.

"I saw it was a good school so I decided to move here."

Mandalov has had a distinguished career in rowing and athletics which included her rowing for the South Australian Institute of Sport.

But last year Mandalov decided to focus on her athletics career sprinting in the 100 and 200 metres.

"I was probably a little better at sprinting so I have focused on that," she said.

Mandalov has had her share of injury problems since moving into athletics including a serious knee injury leading into the 2008 Australian Athletics Championships.

Mandalov dislocated her knee-cap while training for the titles and never re-gained her top form, finishing last overall in the 100m.

But after a break and a detailed program to improve the strength of her knees Mandalov has been training hard in the lead up to the Australian Championships in Brisbane in March this year.

She ran at Geelong late last month and finished in second place in the 100m with a personal best time of 12.36 seconds.

"That was pretty big for me," she said.

"Sprinters don't really hit their peak until about 26 so I have some time to get up to my best times."

Training has become a little more difficult for Mandalov since she moved to Dimboola.

She now trains by herself on the football ground after school.

"In Adelaide I was training with a squad whereas here I am training by myself," she said.

"It is a bit of a challenge but I am in regular contact with my coach."