Nate McCoy’s senior season got a little longer on Saturday as the West Des Moines native shot a final-round of 71 to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships.

McCoy earned the lone individual qualifying berth at the NCAA Bowling Green Regional in Bowling Green, Ky., beating Ethan Tracy of Arkansas by one shot after finishing with a birdie on his final hole. McCoy shot a three-round total of 212 to accomplish his goal.

“I think back on my freshman year, and I set a goal to someday play in the NCAA Championships,” McCoy said in a news release. “It came down to my last year on my last hole.”

McCoy will become the first Cyclone to play in the NCAA Championships since the regional format began in 1989.

“It is very difficult to make the NCAA Championships as an individual,” said ISU men’s golf coach Andrew Tank. “There are 14 really good teams here, so when you come to a tournament like this in the postseason, the level of competition is extremely high. Nate and I both would like to have our team there, but he is going to go down there and be an outstanding representative of Iowa State.”

As a team, Iowa State tied for ninth place at the regional with Colorado State. The Cyclones shot a three-round total of 886. ISU freshman Sam Daley shot the second-best score for the Cyclones, finishing 30th overall with a three-round total of 223.

McCoy will travel to the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., for the NCAA Championships, which take place from May 29 to June 3.