Ashley Berry will be looking to improve on her bronze medal performance at last year's CARIFTA Games when she, along with 21 other athletes, head off to this year's Games in Cayman Islands today.

Last year's team returned with six medals – five more than the previous year – and expectations are high for this year's squad.

Berry, last year's Senior School Girls Front Street Mile winner and this year's runner-up to Taylor-Ashley Bean, who is also making the journey, is quietly confident that she has done enough in preparation to get the job done and go one better than her bronze medal performance a year ago.

"This year I'm running the 3000 metres again and will be looking to improve on what I did last year," said Berry at a training session at the National Sports Centre on Monday night.

"I managed to get a bronze medal last time out and with the hard work I have put in I will be expecting to medal again, or even go one better."

The 2009 Front Street Mile champion endured a rough start to 2010, having relinquished her crown in January to Bean, finishing some 22 seconds behind the winner.

Since then, however, she has quickly rebounded to put in a good display at the USATF Northeast Youth Indoor track meet at the New York Armory as well as booking her ticket to the CAC Junior Championships, courtesy of a time of 10 minutes, 41.8 seconds.

Her time also met the 'A' standard qualifying mark for the Carifta Games.

The 2009 Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA) 2009 Female Athlete of the Year has also put in good performances locally, particularly at the National Track and Field Championships and Senior School Nationals.

While still working on her discipline, the Warwick Academy student admitted that she is better prepared this time around. She is competing in her second Games and if her last meet is anything to go by, she will certainly be in contention.

"I am better prepared this year than last, I have been getting in more long runs to help with this event.

"The last meet I went to I ran the same time I did last year at the Games, so with higher competition to pull me along I think I can do a faster time."

Berry is expected to be one of the favourites in the Bermuda camp to medal. And she's been praised by BTFA president Donna Watson, who recently commented on her chances.

"Ashley medalled at Carifta last year in the 3000 metres and is running up to her potential again this year," said Watson.

"In reality she is ahead of the game when compared to last year so we expect her to be on the medal podium in a spot higher than last year as she will be competing in the same event as last year – the 3000 metres."

The squad leave today for the Caymans with the Games scheduled for April 2 to 5.

Bermuda squad

Under-17 Girls

Shuntae Hendrickson (1500m), Akeila Richardson (Triple Jump)

Under-20 Girls

Alexis Bean (1500m), Ashley Berry (3000m), Allison Outerbridge (Triple Jump), Jasmine Brunson (Long Jump), Taylor Ashley Bean (1500m)

Under-17 Boys

Juma Mouchette (1500m,3000m), Kameron Creighton (3000m), Jeneko Place (100m, 200m, 4X100m Relay), Dage Minors (1500m), Daniel Emery (4X100m relay), Blaine Simmons (100m, 4X100m relay), Christian Wright (Long Jump, 4X100m relay), Bruce DeGrilla (Long Jump), Scott Clarke (4X100m relay);

Under-20 Boys

Trey Simons (1500m, 5000m), Ryan Furbert (High Jump), Henry Stevens-Carty (800m,1500m), Tristan Joynes (110m Hurdles), Shaquille Dill (800m,400m), Shawn Herman (5000m)

n Henry Stevens-Carty won his 800 metre race at the Cobb County track meet in the US in a time of 1:52.4, breaking the previous record that had stood since 1995 (1:54.08).

That time qualified him for the CAC Junior Championships and the CAC Games.

Carty also won the 1600 metres and is now the number one athlete in the Cobb County area in both events.

Those results will certainly be a confidence boost for the youngster who is due to meet the Carifta team in the Cayman Islands.

Also competing well over weekend was Shanel Woodley, at the Cal-Nevada Championships, where she won the 100 metres in a time of 11.95 seconds and placed second in the 200 metres in a time of 24.22.

Jasmine Brunson and Latroya Darrell also took part in the Yellow Jacket Invitational.

Brunson finished third in the long jump, with a leap of 5.87 metres and Darrell won the triple jump with 12.73 metres.