Blackburn grew up in the Dallas–Fort Worth city of Keller, Texas, the younger of two daughters born to Ryan and Bianca Blackburn, all of whom graduated from Texas Tech University.[3] She played club soccer for Solar SC, which she helped lead to the USYS under-14 national championship in 2016, ECNL national title game in 2017, and USSDA under-17 national title in 2019.[2] She committed to Texas Tech in eighth grade. She graduated from Timber Creek High School in Fort Worth.[4]
College career
Blackburn led the Texas Tech Red Raiders with 9 assists in 19 games in her freshman season in 2021, earning Big 12 Conference all-freshman honors. She missed most of her sophomore year after dislocating her right kneecap three games into the season. She returned to contribute a career-high 11 assists and 2 goals in 15 games in her junior season in 2023, being named first-team All-Big 12 and third-team All-American. However, she tore her ACL in her right knee and missed the last eight games of the year, sitting out as Texas Tech clinched their first Big 12 regular-season title in program history and reached the third round of the NCAA tournament.[2][3]
In her senior season in 2024, Blackburn led the Red Raiders with 10 assists and added 2 goals in 19 games, being named first-team All-American, first-team All-Big 12, and the Big 12 Defender of the Year. She helped win one round in her first NCAA tournament.[5][6] During her senior season, she passed Taylor Lytle's career 27-assist mark and finished the season as the program record holder with 33 assists in 56 games.[2][3]
International career
Blackburn was called up to the United States youth national team at the under-15, under-17, and under-20 levels, appearing in two friendlies with the under-17s in 2019.[7][8]
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