(This story was originally published on express.adobe.com)
In literature, Poetry is stylistically defined with words such as "ambiguous", "free-flowing", and "interpretive". Whereas, Prose is characterized by "structure", "rules", and "clear articulation".
Conley Langford – The W women's basketball's fifth-year senior – is pure and unapologetically "prose".
I get it. "Poetry in motion" is a long-standing athletic cliché, used to describe gravity-defying and head-turning feats that are usually accompanied by some musical underscore like "Jump", "Pump Up The Jam", or "Turn Down for What", on highlight reels. Besides, "poetry in motion" flows out of your mouth better than "prose in motion," doesn't it?
But prose is common. Prose isn't flashy. Prose is consistent.
Prose is Conley Langford.
"To me, it's not about being flashy," Langford explained. "I do have stats and records, but it's not about that to me. It's about the consistency; trying to win and playing for the team. Flashiness is playing for yourself, and I don't like that. If you're not winning or at least trying to win, none of (the accolades) really even matter."
Add to that steadiness Langford's self-imposed high expectations of herself, and it becomes apparent how she is already established as one of the elite in MUW's pantheon of women's basketball players for its storied history. Heading into the 2025-26 season, Langford holds 20 modern-era school records: two single-game, five season, and 13 career marks…with another full season ahead to add to those totals.
Langford boasts averages of 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.8 steals for her 65 career games played as an Owl. She has scored in double-figures in 57 of those bouts (including all 22 games in 2023-24) and a school-record 31 straight between 2022-24.
On-court honors and accolades – while not sought out by Langford – have, to no surprise, been a by-product of her athletic production. In her first season with the Owls' program (2022-23), Langford was tabbed as the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national Student-Athlete of the Year in recognition of her athletics, academics, and civic involvement. She was also a USCAA All-American on the court. Since The W athletics became full members of the NCAA Division III – and St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) - in 2023-24, Langford has earned back-to-back All-SLIAC honors. Additionally, she has been voted as The W Athletics female Owl of the Year for two years running.
How has she done all this, you may ask? First and foremost, all aspects of Langford's world – athletics, academics, or societal - are governed by discipline. All of the things she does - if she chooses to take something on - are attacked with maximum effort and laser-like focus. 100 percent is Langford's expectation; squeezing out an extra 5-10 percent above and beyond is her goal.
"Conley is one of the most complete players I have ever coached, especially when it comes to the total person," The W head coach Eric Vaughn said. "She is an incredible worker, on and off the court. Her commitment to excellence is unmatched, both on the court and in the classroom."
To prove that point, Vaughn shared a story about Langford: "One day I asked Conley where she was headed, and she said that she was on the way to the writing center to get five points of extra credit for a class in which she already had an A+ average. The extra five points would go towards her final exam. I asked Conley why she would go to the writing center just for five extra points. She told me that if she got a 51.8% on the final exam, her grade would drop to a B. She said, twenty years from now, she didn't want to look back and realize that she didn't go and get those five extra points and cost her a chance at a 4.0.
"That's the type of individual she is. She works extremely hard when no one is watching."
The result has been a stream of equally impressive academic accolades on Langford's résumé. In addition to being the Student-Athlete of the Year, she was also a national All-Academic Team selection by the USCAA. Langford is a two-time Academic All-District® honoree by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) and was a CSC Academic All-American® in 2023-24. In 2025, she was inducted as a charter member of MUW's chapter of the Chi Alpha Sigma Athletics Honor Society and has been on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll every term at The W.
The correlation between athletic and academic success does not escape Langford, either. "I think it all goes together: dedication, hard work, consistency. The person you are is how you are with everything," she reflected. "I think if I slacked in the classroom, I would slack on the court. You do everything the same way."
Credit the assist to parents, Buck and Lisa Langford, who instilled in their children that they're okay with whatever the result, as long as they are giving their best effort in whatever they do. "I keep that in the back of my mind," Conley said.
It's hard to imagine, but all that Conley Langford has achieved in basketball for the Owls may not have happened at all. Growing up, Langford shone in softball – with her father and grandfather working with her on her skills development – and the family was heavily involved in the typical travel softball circuit.
She continued in both sports all the way through her prep years at Calhoun City High School. But as she considered her college career, Langford realized that her mentality of taking on tasks wholeheartedly would necessitate choosing between softball and basketball, so as not to "cheat" one or the other. Rightly so, she understood that the rigors of academics and athletics at the collegiate level would certainly be more demanding.
And while not a scientific declaration, one has to wonder if one shining moment that occurred when she was just seven years old might not have tipped the scales toward basketball all those years later. It was in a Pee-Wee basketball game – with boys and girls playing together – that Langford had the ball with the clock winding down and her team behind. She heaved a shot from 20 feet (which to a seven-year-old probably looked like midcourt at The Garden) and made the winning basket. Perhaps a seed was planted?
Actually, Langford's logic in selecting basketball in college was more reminiscent of the late President John F. Kennedy's "We choose to go to the Moon" speech at Rice University on September 12, 1962: "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard". Langford purposely decided to ply her collegiate athletic trade on the hardwood - rather than the softball diamond - because it would be even more of a challenge to her, forcing her to push herself to new personal heights.
"Softball always came easily to me," Langford explained. "Not so much in basketball. I had to work harder at it."
Langford's career at The W began after an initial injury-shortened season at Northwest Mississippi Community College. Once arriving in Columbus in 2022, however, it quickly became the proverbial match made in heaven. She was exactly the shot in the arm that the women's basketball program needed after athletics was reinstated at The W in 2017. Conversely, the University has launched her on a career trajectory to become a medical doctor.
A biology major, Langford began with an intent to become a pharmacist, before her "desire to help people" precipitated the switch to becoming an M.D. In any case, she is appreciative of the part The W has played in her preparation for life's next segment.
"I'm really thankful for The W, because it is such a good school," Langford said. "You have to put in a lot of work, but I'm thankful to actually be able to learn and have teachers who actually teach you things. I've been in places where I didn't learn as much. But The W has prepared me.
"(The teachers) have helped me, like answering emails when I've had questions, they've been open to helping me. They've been very helpful with basketball. When I travel, they work with me to make things up. The W has definitely helped prepare me for my life and for my next journey academically (medical school)."
In particular, the future "Doctor" Langford cites her advisor, Dr. Benjamin Onyeagucha, as well as chemistry professors Dr. Xiaoxi Li, Dr. Dionne Fortenberry, and Dr. Jiben Roy, as being influential to her journey.
And much like she has been helped by the caring faculty of The W, along with her own desire to help people, Langford has made it a point to spend time giving back through various avenues. Some of her volunteerism has included work at Vibrant Church in Columbus, with the Dog Lover's League animal shelter back home in Calhoun City, the Diabetes Walk in Columbus, and the Columbus Humane Society. She has also given of herself in support of the women's basketball team's own fundraising efforts by working concessions at MSU football, slinging hot dogs on Bulldog game days.
"(Giving back) is very important to me," Langford recounted. "It's one of the reasons I want to go into the healthcare field, because you get to help people. I feel good when I get to help somebody. When you get to help people – and you don't ask for anything in return – it's sincere that way."
Even as the curtain begins to close on her accomplished basketball career, the admittedly soft-spoken Langford has grown to embrace the responsibilities that accompany the mantle of leadership and being the face of the program on all levels: on the court, in the classroom, and among the community. The W has, over the past three seasons, helped her to step out of her personal "comfort zone" and amplify her voice to lift up teammates and peers, to do both as she says and as she does.
"Being a role model is an honor," Langford surmised in a message directed at future Owls, but good advice for everyone. "Enjoy it. It seems like just a few days ago I first came to The W. You don't think that time flies as much; you always think 'I've got more time'. But I would say work hard now, do what you're supposed to, and enjoy it. It doesn't last forever."
Truer prose was never spoken.
