# List of NCAA Division I women's basketball career steals leaders

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. | G | F | C | Ref. |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center | References |
| ^ | Player still competing in NCAA Division I |
| * | Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Team (X) | Denotes the number of times a player from that team is represented on this list |

## Top 25 career steals leaders

| Player | Pos. | Team | Career start | Career end | Games played | Steals | SPG |
| Chastadie Barrs | G | Lamar | 2015 | 2019 | 122 | 649 | 5.3 |
| Natalie White | G | Florida A&M (2) | 1991 | 1995 | 113 | 624 | 5.5 |
| Ticha Penicheiro | G | Old Dominion | 1994 | 1998 | 133 | 591 | 4.4 |
| Heidi Caruso | G | Lafayette | 1990 | 1994 | 113 | 532 | 4.7 |
| Shakyla Hill | G | Grambling (2) | 2015 | 2019 | 130 | 493 | 3.8 |
| Angel McCoughtry | F | Louisville | 2005 | 2009 | 139 | 481 | 3.5 |
| Shiakiea Carter | G | Grambling | 1994 | 1998 | 116 | 469 | 4.0 |
| Kevi Luper | G | Oral Roberts | 2009 | 2013 | 126 | 463 | 3.7 |
| Stephanie Karcz | G | Loyola (MD) | 2016 | 2020 | 119 | 461 | 3.9 |
| Stacy Coffey | G | Oklahoma State | 1992 | 1996 | 118 | 458 | 3.9 |
| Dawn Staley* | G | Virginia | 1988 | 1992 | 131 | 454 | 3.5 |
| Toccara Williams | G | Texas A&M | 2000 | 2004 | 111 | 452 | 4.1 |
| Nykesha Sales | F | UConn | 1994 | 1998 | 137 | 447 | 3.3 |
| Melanie Boeglin | G | Indiana State | 2002 | 2006 | 124 | 444 | 3.6 |
| Kyle DeHaven | G | William & Mary / Delaware | 2003 | 2008 | 118 | 429 | 3.6 |
| Ashley Deary | G | Northwestern | 2013 | 2017 | 131 | 429 | 3.3 |
| Sherill Baker | G | Georgia | 2002 | 2006 | 131 | 426 | 3.3 |
| Donna McGary | G | Mississippi Valley State | 1987 | 1991 | 113 | 425 | 3.8 |
| Chanette Hicks | G | Virginia Tech / Norfolk State | 2015 | 2020 | 117 | 425 | 3.6 |
| Rochelle Luckett | G | VCU | 1998 | 2002 | 114 | 423 | 3.7 |
| Demetria Frank | G | Bethune-Cookman | 2007 | 2012 | 122 | 422 | 3.5 |
| Nicole Kubik | G | Nebraska | 1996 | 2000 | 125 | 418 | 3.3 |
| Shelly Boston | G | Florida A&M | 1988 | 1992 | 88 | 416 | 4.7 |
| Teresa McNair | G | Eastern Kentucky | 1999 | 2003 | 116 | 406 | 3.5 |
| Alana Beard | G/F | Duke | 2000 | 2004 | 136 | 404 | 3.0 |
| Corin Adams | G | Morgan State | 2006 | 2010 | 122 | 404 | 3.3 |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Reflects the calendar year in which the player's Division I career began. All listings of player records in official NCAA record books categorize seasons by the calendar years in which they ended.
* ↑ Except as otherwise noted, references for each entry are from the most recent edition of the NCAA Division I women's basketball record book, cited in the "General references" section below.
* ↑ Although Hicks' career spanned five seasons, she only played in four. She played three seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to Norfolk State, sitting out the 2018–19 season due to NCAA transfer rules.