schedule, Bermuda are putting all their eggs in the Senior CAC Games basket.

That could mean more than just a few medals when the top athletes from the Caribbean and Central America converge on San Juan, Puerto Rico in a little more than two months' time.

"We're looking at our strongest team in a good number of years,'' national track and field coach Gerry Swan said yesterday.

Although qualifying standards for the June 26-28 competition won't be released until probably the end of this week, Olympians Brian Wellman, Troy Douglas and Devon Bean, are givens to be named.

And up-and-comers such as Xavier James and Atiba Tucker -- both attending school in the United States -- could join up with veterans such as Sheldon Thompson, Tracy Wright, Jennifer Fisher and Gregory Simons in a 15- or 16-member squad.

But it's the emergence of Terrance Armstrong and Jay Donawa that has Swan enthusiastic about the formation of what he calls "as strong a team as possible.'' Members of the Reebok Track Club in the US, the pair are coming off impressive performances in foul weather on the weekend at Duke University in North Carolina.

Armstrong won the 3,000-metre steeplechase in a time of nine minutes, 9.13 seconds in his second outdoor competition. Earlier, at at North Carolina State University, he turned in a time of 3:50.74 for the 1500 metres.

And Donawa, a competitive road runner hitting the track for the first time in several years, clocked a 14:49.55 in the 5000 metres -- his fastest time for the distance since 1992.

Donawa had 1600m splits of 4:36, 4:42, 4:57, meaning he ran the final 200 metres in 34 seconds. The race was one of three heats, with 30 athletes in each.

Swan said the result develops Donawa's confidence and race tactics, with the overall goal of "improving the chances of him running faster times''.

Donawa, a member of Bermuda's cross-country team that finished third at the CAC competition earlier this year, is also injury-free for one of the few times in his career, and is re-dedicating himself to a sport in which he has competed successfully on the Island.

Swan and Bermuda Track and Field Association vice president Bob Oliver are finalising qualifying standards that will be used to determine who makes the team.

Swan said they would be "pretty consistent'' with marks used for other international events and "appropriate'' for the CAC. Translation: Top 12 finishes, based on previous years, including the last CAC Games in 1995.