Running tough has been a theme of the ISU women’s distance squad throughout the course of the indoor track and field season.

And there was no shortage of it in the team’s lone event at the NCAA Indoor National Championships.

“I thought [Moen] ran really tough, hung on, didn’t quit on the race, kept eyeing that All-American spot, that eighth spot,” said ISU coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. “I think she was a little tense at times … kind of being a little sporadic in her racing style, surging and things she doesn’t normally do.”

Redshirt senior Katy Moen punched her ticket to the championships in the 3,000-meter run at the Big 12 Indoor Championship after running a personal best time of 9:08.69.

“The 3K is certainly out of [Moen’s] comfort zone,” Grove-McDonough said. “It’s really stepping down in distance for her. The 10K [is] her specialty … not that she can’t run a good [5,000-meter] and obviously a good enough [3,000-meter] to be [at the NCAA championships].”

While Moen fell just short of a podium spot and All-America honors, she finished 10th and achieved something she never had throughout her ISU indoor career — an appearance in the NCAA Indoor National Championships.

“[The race] went alright,” Moen said. “I think I was a little tense in the middle of it but I think all in all it went pretty well today.”

There is one last stop on the veteran distance runner’s schedule — the outdoor season.

Moen is expected to once again be one of the key leaders of the distance squad. She finished 12th in the 5,000-meter and 23rd in the 10,000-meter at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last year.

“[Moen’s] had a roller coaster indoor,” Grove-McDonough said. “There’s been some real good highlights in the Big 12 and some frustration, so I think this was a nice way to end … always hoping for a little bit more. I think she’ll be ready to move into some prep work for the outdoor 10,000-meter, but it’s good been good for her to focus on speed and step down in distance. I was really, really proud of how tough she ran at the end there.”