Western Nebraska Community College's Eva Langton came to the United States from New Zealand to continue playing basketball and get an education.

                After two years at WNCC, where Langton excelled in the classroom and on the court, the 6-foot-1 guard will be continuing her education and education at the next level after signing with Texas A&M International, a Division II in Laredo, Texas.

                "I am going to Texas A&M International. I choose to go there because I really liked the school and the program I am going into is really good," she said. "They have a new coach that has been successful at previous schools and I like his style of play that he is trying to accomplish and he is a good fit for me."

                Texas A&M International head coach Nate Vogel spoke highly of Langford.

                "Eva is another great fit for our program. She is another honor roll student and two-time Academic All-American, who will fit with the culture we are trying to instill here," he said. "On the court, Eva's length will provide even more versatility to our team. Her ability to shoot from long distance will allow us to stretch the floor and at six-foot-one, gives us the opportunity to post her up as well. Eva comes from a great program at Western Nebraska led by one of the best coaches [Chad Gibney] at the Division I junior college level. Eva is everything I was looking for in a student-athlete. She will make our program better right away both in the classroom and on the court."

                Langton spent two years at WNCC fine-tuning her game and it led to her getting a chance to continue her education and playing a sport she loves.

                "At home, we don't have collegiate sports to play at this level so once you go to college, sports takes the back handle," she said. "So, coming over to the states allows me to keep playing at a high level and to keep competing to get better as well to study."

                Langton wasn't a scorer, per say, for the Cougars in her two years. Her asset was her overall play on the court and her defensive tenacity.

                "I think I have improved a lot and my knowledge of the game has continued to grow with the help of coach [Chad] Gibney and also the team," she said. "The differences of playing here and at home is where you go from playing a couple days a week to here two hours a day and coming in at night. It is a whole different lifestyle. It has been a big learning curve and I am excited to continue playing."

                Langton, who arrived in Scottsbluff from Stratford, New Zealand, averaged 3.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists a game. She helped the Cougars to back-to-back trips to the national tournament.

                "It has been a great two years of my life," she said. "I have met some amazing people both years. I had great teammates, great coaches and it has been an amazing experience."

                With all the friends she has made in the states the last two years, she said it will be hard to leave, especially her adopted dorm parents.

                "It definitely will be hard. There are a lot of great people I have met in the past two years. It definitely will be hard," she said. "I just want to say thank you to my dorm families. I am fortunate to have two and they are amazing people, I can't speak highly of the program at the school to do that. Thank you to everyone here. Thanks to the coaches and the girls, it has been an amazing time."