The 18-year-old will look to cement his spot in the Saints' senior squad this season, after making six appearances on the wing in 2021.

And by the looks of things, Baulch's fitness levels already have a solid base for his return to pre-season training post-Christmas.

The 18-year-old was the fastest male competitor in the third and final Flaggy 5 event on Wednesday, running the five kilometre track in 17 minutes and 45 seconds.

It marked the fastest time of any runner across all three weekly events.

Sam Edney ran second in 18.16, while Richard Wade rounded out the top three, with a time of 18.47.

A former Greater Western Victoria Rebel, Baulch completed his year 12 studies last year. He will now balance a boilermaker apprenticeship with his football commitments.

"It's going good, hopefully we can go alright this year," Baulch said of Koroit's pre-season form.

"We're back into training and have done a few sessions before Christmas, and back into about our fourth session now."

In the women's ranks, it was 12-year-old Rose Jarvis who conquered the track the fastest.

Melbourne-based Jarvis ran the course in 23 minutes and 42 seconds, just pipping sister Aurora by 11 seconds. Caroline Macdonald crossed the line third with a time of 23.58.

Jarvis, who holidays in Warrnambool with her family each year, said the Flaggy 5 course was a challenge.

"It was hard running against the wind up the hills, but it was a nice course," she said.

Warrnambool Athletics Club president Mark Gavin said it was fantastic to be able to run the series after last year's hiatus.

"It's really great to see everyone out and having a go at it again and seeing some new faces and new groups through," he said.

The club will open its winter season, which includes 12 races, starting at the end of February. Junior and senior memberships will open soon.

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