The Gophers' Gabriele Anderson, who has endured cancer surgery and radiation therapy, willed herself to a second-place finish in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA outdoor track championship in Oregon.

As the pace began to quicken in her final NCAA race, Gabriele Anderson sneaked a glance at the scoreboard video screen. The time for the 1,500 meters had been leisurely, with most of the 12 runners poised to make a final kick. That meant last Saturday's NCAA championship would be decided in a mad sprint to the finish line at Oregon's Hayward Field.

Anderson felt a momentary shiver of panic race through her body. But the Gophers runner had been thinking of this day for more than a year, through cancer surgery and radiation therapy and the endless hours of work it took to become an athlete again.

"It was so important to me,'' she said. "I wanted my career to end like I knew it could. So I just started grinding.''

Over the final 75 meters, Anderson stormed from fifth place to finish...