Gabriella Arnold marked her first appearance at the United States Collegiate Track National Championships by finishing sixteenth in the sprint yesterday.

Racing in familiar surroundings at the Major Taylor Velodrome, which is adjacent to the Marian University campus in Indianapolis, the 17-year-old Bermudian star had little difficult in advancing to the last 16 where she was beaten by a team-mate.

Elizabeth Engwis, another team-mate, got the better of Arnold in the B quarter-final, after which the holder of multiple national titles in Bermuda was fourth in the 13-16 sprint.

Her performance represents an improvement of seven places after recording the 23rd-best 200?metres time-trial time of 14.47sec out of 34 riders.

Arnold, who is in the infancy of her collegiate career at Marian, having been accepted on a cycling scholarship this summer, will be in action again today in the three-kilometre individual pursuit and tomorrow in the 500 metres time-trial tomorrow.

Marian entered the championships as a dominant force in women’s collegiate cycling, having won the track omnium title the past eight years.

Next week Arnold reconnects with her Bermuda team-mates in Suriname for what will be her final Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships.