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The Burnaby NOW's athlete to watch in 2014

Zion Corrales-Nelson set age group records on the track last season, while leading the St. Thomas More Knights to a best-ever runner-up finish at the B.C. high school junior girls' basketball championships
Tom Berridge
zion corrales-Nelson
Zion Corrales-Nelson of Burnaby set age group records on the track, while leading her high school team to second place at the B.C. junior girls' basketball championshipsBurnaby NOW file photo

They say, good things come in small packages, and in the case of Burnaby’s Zion Corrales-Nelson, nothing could be closer to the truth.

The Grade 9 St. Thomas More Collegiate athlete was a virtual roadrunner on the track all season long, while also helping the junior varsity Knights basketball team to a best-ever runner-up finish at the B.C. high school girls’ basketball championships.

Corrales-Nelson began the track season, winning the 400 metres, while placing runner-up in both the 100 and 200m at the B.C. high school track and field championships. She also anchored the STM relay team to a bronze medal in the 4x100m.

At the B.C. Athletics championships in Kamloops, Corrales-Nelson swept the 15-year age category, winning at 100, 200 and 300m distances, including new midget records in the 200 and 300m.

Her 24:01 clocking in the 200m, bettered four-time B.C. high school champion Krysha Bailey’s old record by 0.50 of a second. She also set a sub-40 second record time in the 300m at 39.67.

Corrales-Nelson did not stop there.

The Burnaby Striders club runner continued her winning ways at the Legion Canadian youth track and field championships in Langley, winning both sprints, as well as anchoring B.C.’s gold-medal-winning relay.

Elsewhere on the track, Corrales-Nelson won the high school freshman 100m race at the Oregon Relays.

She also won the national development 400m at the Harry Jerome Track Classic, and took first place with a 55.78 clocking in the open and collegiate division at the Oregon Twilight meet.

On the basketball court, Corrales-Nelson was named the tournament’s most outstanding defensive player following STM’s 41-29 loss to the W.J. Mouat Hawks in the championship final at the B.C. high school junior girls’ championships in Langley.