THE HAXTON HISTORY

BLAKE HAXTON

Blake Haxton was a rower on the UA Crew team from the fall of 2005 through the spring of 2009 and was the boys’ captain from 2007 – 2009. In 2009, as he was getting ready to graduate, Haxton lost his legs, and nearly his life, to necrotizing fasciitis

Today, after enduring 20 surgeries, rigorous physical therapy and committing to intense training, Haxton is once again a champion rower. In 2014 Blake returned to the sport he loves through adaptive rowing. Blake won the 2014 Men’s Para Indoor Championship setting an American record. He finished first in the arms and shoulders single sculls at the 2014 Para-Rowing World Championships Trials, which qualified him for the 2014 World Rowing Championships where he took fourth. Blake went on to the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, France, representing the United States where he placed fifth in the world. That performance secured an entry for the United States for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro where Blake finished fourth in the world. He is also the recipient of the 2016 US Rowing Athlete of the Year award.

In 2016 Blake graduated with a law degree from the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University.

Blake’s impressive competitive spirit continues to earn him a place among the rowing elite as a competitor in both the World Para-Rowing Championships, the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and placed 4th in his division in the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Bulgaria.

Blake recently participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He is the first Team USA athlete to participate in two Olympic sports: Men's Arms and Shoulders single scull where he placed 10th overall and in the Men's Canoe Sprint earning the Silver Medal for Team USA.

As of March, 2024, Blake was added as a Trustee to the US Rowing Foundation.

USRowing and the USRowing Foundation are pleased to announce the addition of Thomas W. Cornacchia, Deborah DiSanzo, and Blake Haxton as Trustees to the USRowing Foundation (USRF).

"We are excited to have Tom, Deborah, and Blake aboard," said USRF Chair Bill McNabb, former Chairman and CEO of Vanguard. "Each brings different and valuable perspectives and skill sets which help ensure that our foundation board reflects the greater rowing community in the USA," continued McNabb.

Blake Haxton (Dublin, Ohio) represented the U.S. as a member of the U.S. Paralympic rowing team at the World Rowing Championships and Paralympic Games from 2014 to 2020. Following the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro where he placed 4th, Blake was awarded the 2016 USRowing Male Athlete of the Year, an honor bestowed by his Olympic and Paralympic teammates, making him the first ever para-athlete to win this honor. After his rowing career, Blake joined the U.S. Sprint Canoe Team and has been named to the 2024 Paralympic Sprint Canoe team for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Blake earned his law degree from Ohio State in 2016 and currently works as a Research Analyst for Brandywine Global Investment Management in Columbus, Ohio.

The Blake Haxton Fall Regatta celebrates the grit, talent, and camaraderie of youth rowing while honoring one of Upper Arlington Crew’s most inspiring alumni—Paralympic rower Blake Haxton. In the spring of 2009, Blake lost his legs, and nearly his life, to a rare flesh-eating bacterial infection. His courage, resilience, and competitive spirit embody the values this regatta was built to showcase.

Since its launch in 2010, the Haxton Regatta has grown into Ohio’s largest fall rowing event, drawing 28 school and club teams, 479 boats, and over 1,700 middle and high school athletes from across the Midwest. Half of our competitors come from outside Ohio, representing Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, and beyond, making the Haxton an exciting regional competition.

Hosted each October by Upper Arlington Crew, the Haxton Regatta is also a vital fundraiser. Proceeds support equipment purchases and scholarships for UA Crew athletes, ensuring the next generation of rowers has the resources they need to thrive.

Thanks to the generosity of corporations, local businesses, individual donors, and an army of dedicated volunteers, the Blake Haxton Fall Regatta has become more than a race—it’s a tradition, a celebration, and a legacy that grows stronger each year.

I am thrilled to know that thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and supporters more students will have the opportunity to experience the sport that I love so much.

– Blake Haxton