By Pat James, GoHeels.com
As her race, the last one at the NCAA East Preliminary Round, finally neared, Morgan Ilse's nervousness grew.
Just last year, Ilse, then a sophomore on the North Carolina track and field team, placed 43rd in the 5,000 meters during her first East Prelims appearance. That finish came after she sat in qualifying position for the NCAA Championships with only one lap left.
She told distance coach Mark VanAlstyne then that she'd return. When she eventually did, Ilse said she wouldn't fall short.
That opportunity finally arrived on May 26 at the USF Track and Field Stadium in Tampa, Fla.