BIRMINGHAM STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

After being overshadowed by its highly successful boys’ counterparts for much of the decade, the Birmingham High girls’ track and field team could take center stage when the City Section championships are held on its home track May 27.

Birmingham tied Dorsey for second in the 1998 City championships with 53 points, but was barely noticed in the brilliance of Taft’s record 112-point total.

Birmingham could move into the top spot this year, however.

Taft lost two-time 100- and 200-meter champion Eboni Grayson and two-time 300 hurdles champion Frances Santin to graduation, and defending 400 champion Jayda Bailey transferred to El Camino Real, where she has since withdrawn.

Dorsey is not expected to be as strong this season.

Birmingham has the best team in Coach Scott King’s 12 years at the school.

“We should be good in the dual meets and good in the City meet,” King said. “We can [score] points in events where other [teams] can’t.”

Birmingham, the 1998 City cross-country champion, should have quality performers in just about every event.

Senior Tiffany Burgess is the defending section champion in the 800 and 1,600 and has run 2:17.89 in the 800 and 5:02.74 in the 1,600.

Senior Erika Dolezal placed third in the 3,200 and sixth in the 1,600 in the City championships last year and sophomore Melissa Astete won the pole vault and finished fifth in the 3,200.

Junior Nickie Kohlieber placed fourth in the pole vault last year and the Patriots have several other athletes who could score points in the City championships by placing among the top six finishers in their respective events.

Senior Keisha Mierez is a versatile transfer from Chula Vista Castle Park and juniors Shakela Wilson, Gigi Mendola and Ofa Mailangi are returning varsity performers.

Mierez, who attended Birmingham as a freshman and sophomore before living with her father in the San Diego area during the 1997-98 school year, has hand-time bests of 12.3 in the 100, 24.5 in the 200 and 57.3 in the 400. She has leaped 17-8 in the long jump and cleared 5-2 in the high jump.

Mierez also might compete in the triple jump.

“We’re going to see where we can best utilize her talents,” King said.

Wilson ran 58.3 in the 400 and 2:18.1 in the 800 in recent all-comers meets and Mendola has bests of 12.5 in the 100, 25.7 in the 200 and 58.1 in the 400.

Mailangi has put the shot 36-5.

Freshman Michelle Rivera could give Birmingham a solid 1-2-3 punch in the pole vault. She has cleared eight feet in her first season to go with the 10-foot bests of Astete and Kohlieber.

The abundance of talent has King feeling good about the girls’ team’s chances of matching the Birmingham boys’ City title of 1992.

“There’s no guarantee we’re going to win the City championships,” King said. “But being in position to win is all you can ask for. You have to be good, but you also have to have a lot of luck to win.”

Other teams to watch:

Camarillo--Versatile junior Lisa Wygant could lead the 1998 Marmonte League-champion Scorpions to the inaugural Pacific View League title.

Wygant, defending Southern Section Division I champion in the high jump, has a best of 5-6 in that event. She has also run 16.08 in the 100 hurdles and 47.46 in the 300 lows and leaped 34-4 in the triple jump.

Senior Jeanene Gerry, seventh in the 1998 Southern Section cross-country championships, and junior Nicole Richardson will give Camarillo a solid 1-2 punch in the distance races.

Sophomore Angela Mejia placed third in the 100 and 200 in the Marmonte League finals last year.

Canyon--The Cowboys, with seniors Lauren Fleshman, Danielle Wenz and Emma Barker, are favored to win their fifth consecutive Foothill League title.

Canyon also could contend for a top-five finish in the Division II championships in May if Fleshman can pull off a 800-1,600-3,200 triple.

No girl has ever won all three events in the section championships in the same year, but Fleshman appears capable of accomplishing that feat after finishing second in the national cross-country championships in December and running 2:11.87 in the 800, 4:58.54 in the 1,600 and 10:38.65 in the 3,200 last year.

Wenz has a best of 10-6 in the pole vault.

Barker leaped 16 feet in the long jump and 34-5 in the triple jump, cleared five feet in the high jump and ran 17.1 in the 100 hurdles last year.

Cleveland--The Cavaliers, fourth in the City championships last year, could have one of the most talented trios in the region if juniors Jessica Cosby and Malinda Malone recover fully from knee injuries suffered during basketball season and sophomore Schquay Brignac regains her academic eligibility in late April.

Cosby has a best of 44-3 1/2 in the shotput and won the 1997 and ’98 City titles for Granada Hills before transferring to Cleveland.

Malone ran a career best of 55.44 to place second in the City 400 final last year, and Brignac is the defending City champion in the high jump with a best of 5-10.

Freshman Michelle Stinnette could break 12 seconds in the 100 by the end of the season, said Coach Bill Paden.

Notre Dame--Senior sprinter Tiffany Thompson transferred to Playa del Rey St. Bernard in September, but sophomore Sierra Hauser-Price is back after running school records of 11.98 in the 100 and 23.99 in the 200 last year.

Hauser-Price placed sixth in the 200 and eighth in the 100 in the state championships and also ran legs on Knight relay teams that ran 47.65 in the 400 and 3:51.00 in the 1,600.

Sophomore Gina Rogers, the Mission League cross-country champion, will give Notre Dame a quality distance runner, something it lacked last year.

Freshman Tracy Johnson was a standout in the 100 hurdles at the youth level last year and can also score dual-meet points in the sprints, high jump and long jump.

Rio Mesa--Sophomore Porchea Carroll, defending Southern Section Division II champion in the 100 and 200, is the leading performer on a Spartan team that should be Camarillo’s biggest challenger in the Pacific View League.

Carroll had bests of 11.99 in the 100, 24.70 in the 200 and 18-7 in the long jump last year before illness slowed her at the Masters Meet.

Senior Natasha Pomele has bests of 36-8 1/4 in the shotput and 126-9 in the discus and junior Michelle Villa ran 2:23.97 in the 800 last year.

Taft--The Toreadors aren’t as strong as last year, but they appear capable of a fifth consecutive top-five finish in the City finals.

Junior Deneeka Torrey, third in the 100 and 300 low hurdles in the section finals last year, has run 12.23 in the 100 and 44.63 in the 300 hurdles. She should also excel in the 200 and 100 hurdles.

Senior Tiffany Smith has been hampered by injuries during her high school career, but she ran 56.6 in the 400 last year and placed fourth in the City championships.

Thousand Oaks--Junior sprinter and long jumper Erin Brzezinski and a strong group of distance runners make the Lancers favorites to win their fifth Marmonte League title in six years.

Brzezinski ran 12.68 in the 100 and 25.34 in the 200 last year and leaped 16-9 in the long jump.

Sophomore Kelley Hess ran a career best of 11:20.85 to win the 3,200 in the league finals last year.

Senior Amanda Armstrong is coming off a cross-country season in which she displayed the form that produced marks of 2:19.50 in the 800 and 5:10.79 in the 1,600 in 1997.

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AT A GLANCE

THE PROVEN: Senior Bridget Pearson of Hoover has a best of 12 feet in the pole vault and has placed second, first and seventh in the last three state championships. Senior Becky Rauth of Harvard-Westlake is the fastest returning 300 hurdler in the region with a best of 44.01. She finished second in the Southern Section Division III championships last year. Senior Annmarie Turpin of Simi Valley has a best of 5-8 in the high jump and finished second in the Division I championships. She has run 59.61 in the 400 and 47.7 in the 300 lows. Sophomore Alexis Weatherspoon of Grant has bests of 12.01 in the 100 and 24.99 in the 200 and finished second in the 100 and sixth in 200 in the City championships.

THE PROMISING: Sophomore Anita Siraki of Hoover had bests of 5:15.22 in the 1,600 and 11:59.68 in the 3,200 last track season before placing fourth in the state Division I cross-country championships in November. She upset Lauren Fleshman of Canyon in the two-mile in the L.A. Invitational indoor meet at the Sports Arena in February.

FAST FACT: Sophomores Sierra Hauser-Price of Notre Dame, Porchea Carroll of Rio Mesa and Weatherspoon and junior Malinda Malone of Cleveland have all clocked under 25 seconds in the 200, the fastest returning quartet in the region in more than 15 years.