Rockwall-Heath pole vaulter qualifies for state as locals shine at regionals

Rockwall County left Hewitt with more than one reason to look toward state. At the UIL 6A Region II championships at Midway’s Panther Stadium, Rockwall-Heath added a state qualifier in the pole vault while Royse City and other local athletes contributed to a meet that showed how much depth the county has built in one of Texas’ toughest classifications.

The regional meet, held May 1-2 in a field that included athletes from 110 schools, underscored just how steep the climb is from regionals to the UIL state championships. Lancaster set the pace on the girls side, winning the team title with 103 points to end Duncanville’s four-year run at the top of Region II. Duncanville finished second with 72 points and Bridgeland third with 70, as Lancaster piled up points in both relays and open events.

Lancaster’s 4x100 relay of Tateayna Fuller, Lily Pierrot, Milan Lathan and Saniyah Miller won in 44.05 seconds after earlier setting a national record of 43.77. Pierrot won the 100 meters in 11.40 seconds, Lathan took the 400 in 53.64 and Miller won the 200 in 23.41, while Lancaster also captured the 4x200 relay in 1:35.59. The performance showed the kind of repeatable excellence that separates regional contenders from teams that can keep advancing when the pressure rises.

Rockwall-Heath’s pole vault success fit that same pattern. The program has already shown it can produce state-level vaulters, with Rockwall ISD previously noting two girls pole vaulters who qualified for state in an earlier season. In the Region II results, Rockwall-Heath’s Dyson Wicker posted a 16-foot vault, another sign that the school continues to develop athletes who can clear the biggest hurdles on the biggest stage.

Royse City also had a presence in the regional results, with Tierany Neighbors appearing in the pole-vault field, and the county’s overall showing reflected a broader trend rather than a one-off peak. In a meet that decides who moves on and who goes home, Rockwall County athletes kept putting themselves in contention, and that consistency is what carries a program into state season with real momentum.