__NOTOC__ In basketball, a steal is the act of legally gaining possession of the ball by a defensive player who causes the opponent to turn the ball over. The top 25 highest steals totals in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women's basketball history are listed below. While the NCAA's current three-division format has been in place since the 1973–74 season, the organization did not sponsor women's sports until the 1981–82 school year; before that time, women's college sports were governed by the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). Steals are a relatively new statistic in college basketball, having only become an official statistic in NCAA women's basketball beginning with the 1987–88 season.
Key
Pos.GFCRef.PositionGuardForwardCenterReferences
^Player still competing in NCAA Division I*Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of FameTeam (X)
Top 25 career steals leaders Current through the end of the 2025–26 season. PlayerPos.TeamCareer startCareer endGamesplayedStealsSPGRef. G Lamar 2015 2019 122 649 G Florida A&M (2) 1991 1995 113 624 G Old Dominion 1994 1998 133 591 G Lafayette 1990 1994 113 532 G Grambling 2015 2019 130 493 ^ G Notre Dame 2023 present 103 481 F Louisville 2005 2009 139 481 G Grambling (2) 1994 1998 116 469 G Oral Roberts 2009 2013 126 463 G Loyola (MD) 2016 2020 119 461 G Oklahoma State 1992 1996 118 458 G Sacred Heart / Texas A&M 2022 2026 123 454 * G Virginia 1988 1992 131 454 G Texas A&M (2) 2000 2004 111 452 G Belmont 2020 2026 169 449 F UConn 1994 1998 137 447 G Indiana State 2002 2006 124 444 GWilliam & Mary / Delaware200320081184293.6 G Northwestern 2013 2017 131 429 G Georgia 2002 2006 131 426 G Mississippi Valley State 1987 1991 113 425 G Virginia Tech / Norfolk State 2015 2020 117 425 G VCU 1998 2002 114 423 G Bethune-Cookman 2007 2012 122 422 G Nebraska 1996 2000 125 418
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