Rockwall-Heath’s Brooklyn Nalley takes runner-up in state pole vault

Brooklyn Nalley came within 3 inches of a state title at Mike A. Myers Stadium, clearing 13-0 to finish second in the UIL Class 6A girls pole vault for Rockwall-Heath High School. Katy Seven Lakes junior Carla Angueira-Colombani won the event at 13-3, but Nalley’s performance again put a Rockwall-area vaulter on one of Texas’ biggest stages.

The finish came during the UIL State Track & Field Championships in Austin, held May 14-16, with Class 6A competition on Saturday, May 16. Nalley’s mark showed the level she has reached as a senior and Baylor signee, with the Bears already identifying her in its 2025 recruiting class as part of a group built heavily around pole vaulters and hurdlers. She is headed to Waco next year after a high school career that has made her one of the most consistent vaulters in the state.

Nalley’s runner-up finish added to a strong state-meet run. She entered the 2026 championships as a three-time state qualifier in the pole vault, with prior finishes of second in 2024 and fifth in 2025. In last year’s state meet, Nalley and Rockwall-Heath teammate Kacie Whitten both cleared 12-6, with Whitten placing third and Nalley taking fifth. This spring, Rockwall ISD said Nalley and Whitten both qualified for state again, keeping Heath represented in one of the meet’s most technical and demanding events.

The regional round gave an early sign that Nalley was ready for another podium push. At the 2026 regional meet, she cleared 13-0, tying Whitten for the top mark and setting up the state result that followed in Austin. For Rockwall-Heath, Nalley’s second-place finish is more than an individual medal: it reflects a program that continues to produce state qualifiers and podium threats in track and field, and it gives the Hawks another high-level example of an athlete moving from local success to a major college program.