Conley, a 6-foot forward/center from Louisville, Ohio, averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior at Louisville High School while shooting 38.3 percent from the field (74-for-193) and 71.7 percent from the free throw line (66-for-92). She helped Louisville to three straight conference titles and finished her career with 536 points and 420 rebounds in 79 career games despite missing part of her junior season with a knee injury.  She was a four-time letter winner and a Northeastern Buckeye Conference First Team selection.

“We are very pleased that Julie has decided to continue her education and play basketball here,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. “She had a great senior season and high school career overall. Her team won their conference three straight years and had tremendous success. Individually, Julie put up very solid senior season numbers after coming back from an ACL injury in the middle of her junior season. She is a great fit for us at the forward and center positions. She will give us more size and versatility with her ability to go inside/outside and to hit the mid-range jumper as well as stroke the three-pointer.”

“Julie has a tremendous work ethic, she comes from a great Christian family, and she has done extremely well in the classroom carrying above a 3.8 grade point average,” Gregory added. “She also has a great personality that will mesh well with our current players.”

“I chose to attend Mount Vernon Nazarene University because when Coach Gregory first contacted me I immediately felt comfortable and eager to visit the campus,” said Conley. “I really liked the small-town atmosphere and the way the team and other students made me feel welcome. I know that going to a school with a Christian foundation will help me stay on track with my relationship with God. With that said, I am excited to start my fall semester at MVNU.”

MVNU is currently 16-11 overall this season and 4-9 in the highly-competitive American Mideast Conference South Division. The Lady Cougars will close out the regular season on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. when the team travels to Ohio Dominican University for an AMC South Division contest.