CITY TRACK: BIRMINGHAM GIRLS HOPE TO VAULT TO NO. 1.

Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News

Melissa Astete was a crucial member of Birmingham High's City Section champion cross country team last fall. The sophomore also figures to play a pivotal role in the Patriots' bid for its first City track title.

In this case, however, Birmingham will be relying on Astete's skills as a pole vaulter rather than a distance runner.

Astete cleared an all-time City-best 11 feet in the Northwest Valley Conference finals last Friday, a whopping 2-1/2 feet over her City final record of 8-6 set last year. Astete, who will compete in today's City preliminaries, said improved speed on the runway and taking a break from distance training have been the keys to her recent breakthroughs.

``I was afraid of 11 and always subconsciously thought I couldn't do it,'' Astete said. ``There is a big visual difference and it is a barrier that not many girls do. I really need to spend some more time with the vault and do more drills. I am confident I can do better.''

In last year's City track finals, the versatile Astete won the pole vault and finished fifth in the 3,200 meters. This season, Astete, who also dabbled in the 300-meter low hurdles, has channeled her energies into the vault.

``Everything I do conflicts with the pole vault,'' Astete said. ``I really don't know what I am, a distance runner, a hurdler or a pole vaulter. But for the time being, I am a pole vaulter.''

The pole vault figures to be a key event in Birmingham's bid to become the first girls' team since 1983 to capture the City cross country and track titles in the same year. The Patriots, who tied for second in 1998, could pick up big points with junior Nickie Kholieber and freshman Michelle Rivera, who have gone 10-0 and 9-0.

Birmingham's Tiffany Burgess, the 1998 City 800 and 1,600-meter champion, will begin her quest for an unprecedented fourth City 1,600-meter title in today's preliminaries which begin at 2 p.m. In addition to the 800 and 1,600, Burgess will also team with Gigi Mendola, Keisha Mierez and Shakela Wilson in the 1,600 relay, where the foursome clocked a school-record 3:53.2 in the Northwest Valley Conference finals.

Defending City champion Taft and Westchester are expected to contend for the team title with Birmingham. Taft is led by junior Erin Reed, Tiffany Smith, Deneeka Torrey and Trisha Bratford.

Reed, a junior transfer from Tamalpais High in Mill Valley, won the Northwest Valley Conference 100 and 200 titles. Smith, who will attend Nevada-Las Vegas, finished fourth in the 400 in the 1998 City championships and has bounded 38-4-3/4 in her first year in the triple jump.

Torrey, a junior who finished third in the 300-meter hurdles in the 1998 City championships, has posted career-bests of 14.58 in the 100 hurdles and 44.27 in the 300 lows this season. Bratford was third in the City high jump final for Cleveland last season.

Taft has also emerged among the boys' title contenders with the return of senior Blaine Bussey. Bussey, who missed the first half of the season because of academic ineligibility, won the 400 in a state-leading 46.3 in the Northwest Valley Conference finals to break the all-time area and Taft record of 46.67 set in 1988 by Quincy Watts, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist.

CITY SECTION PRELIMS

When: Today, 2 p.m.

Where: Birmingham High

The top eight finishers in each event qualify for the City championships at Birmingham on May 27.