History was made in Helfferich Hall last week when senior guard Ava Possenti broke the Ursinus all-time steals record, snagging number 276 and cementing her legacy amongst the all-time Ursinus greats.
“Honestly, it feels really good, especially knowing my teammates were the ones to help me,” Possenti said.
The steals record was previously held by Megan Larkin, who set her record of 275 in 1998, maintaining her spot on the leaderboard for nearly 28 years. Last year, Possenti set the single season record for steals, recording 115, but she needed another 109 this season to get her over the line. When she finally did snatch the record in their game against John Hopkins University, there weren’t any immediate celebrations.
“I actually had no idea. Apparently, it was announced during a timeout… And then walking into the locker room after we won Makenna [Foder ’26, teammate] was like, congrats, and I was so caught off guard,” Possenti said. “I initially knew I needed seven steals, and I didn’t think I was going to get it against Johns Hopkins.”
Possenti was not the only one who didn’t notice. “My coach didn’t even mention it. I don’t even think she knew,” she said. “But she texted me later that night, congratulating me and stuff.”
Prior to her collegiate basketball career, Possenti explained that she has always been a more defensive-minded player. “I was never really an offensive threat growing up, because I played with very good athletes,” Possenti said. “We turned to them as our offensive players and I focused more on defense, like just being quick and seeing where the ball goes.” Possenti also stated her time at Ursinus has developed her defensive game to another level.
Perhaps what’s most impressive about Possenti breaking this record is that it’s only her third season at Ursinus. She initially attended college in South Carolina and then played for Cabrini University that spring before transferring again to Ursinus in the fall of 2023. Ava admitted that holding any place in the Ursinus record book was never something she expected.
“No actually, not at all… I knew that I turned more to defense than offense, obviously. But no, I just didn’t expect it,” Possenti said. “And then it is kind of cool because I never expected to even be playing basketball, considering I went to school [Coastal Carolina] and didn’t play and then Cabrini, and then that shut down. So, it was a whole process, but it is really cool.”
Possenti is currently ranked 4th in all of Division III for steals this year, sitting at 110 as of February 18th. When asked about whether she thought she could follow up with another high stat season, she explained, “I don’t really like to pay attention to that stuff. I just focus on one game at a time, and I guess it [steals] just comes naturally.”
On the contrary, Possenti’s parents love to keep her up to date on her latest achievements and luckily, they were there to witness her historic night from the stands. “My dad is very emotional, so he was very excited,” Possenti joked. “And my mom, she doesn’t really know much about sports, but she’s always there supporting me.”
One thing is for sure; we are all proud of Ava here at Ursinus, and we’re looking forward to seeing her defensive dominance continue into the playoffs.
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