And then there was one.

Two weeks ago to this day, the ISU women’s track and field team’s goal of qualifying an athlete to the NCAA Indoor Championships quickly began to slip away.

The stage was set for day one of the Big 12 Indoor Championship and ISU coach Andrea Grove-McDonough believed the team had a good chance to qualify redshirt senior Katy Moen in the 5000-meter run.

“We tried to set it up [and] put our own rabbit in the race,” Grove-McDonough said. “We got a little fancy to try to give her a chance to run the 5,000-meter qualifying standard because this year standard was pretty teed up. This year was a little bit of a weaker field in the [5,000-meter]. We thought that was something at the beginning of the year would be a really easy mark for [Moen].”

Moen’s time of 16:18.59 in the 5000-meter was good enough to place her third overall in the event, but not fast enough to qualify for nationals.

Later that evening, it was mutually agreed upon between Moen and her coach that qualifying for nationals was no longer a reality and the following day Moen was going to enjoy her last indoor competition of her ISU career with the team.

“[Moen] was great about being excited for the team result was in the [5,000-meter] and happy for her teammates,” Grove-McDonough said. “On a personal level, [she] was frustrated [and] at that point I didn’t really have a lot of answers for her. I was frustrated for her too.”

But Moen had one more chance to earn that golden ticket.

And she didn’t need the luck of finding it in a chocolate candy bar.

When Moen stepped onto the Harry Hoak Track for her final home indoor race, she did so with a team mindset, not individual.

As the leader of the ISU pack, Moen finished second overall, this time earning a personal record and a time fast enough for the NCAA Championships.

For the first time in her career, Moen will make the trip south to compete in the biggest collegiate indoor track and field of the season. And she will do so as the lone representative of the ISU women’s track and field team.

“It’s really exciting,” Moen said. “Unfortunately I’m the only girl, but carrying the Iowa State women’s program while I’m out there is really neat.”

On paper, Moen has the 15th fastest time of the athletes competing in the 3000-meter run. What’s not on paper is Moen’s ability to not only close out races strong, but close out seasons strong.

She said she felt well during consecutive runs earlier in the week, and if Moen is able to return to her cross-country form — she finished eighth in the NCAA Cross Country Championships — anything is possible.

The women’s 3000-meter run will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.