Staring at his name written on the board and the large ‘73’ printed on its right, Luke Marvin, commonly called “Marv”, thought about his hard work, from his weekly trips to Old York Country Road with his dad ten years ago to his practice at Commonwealth National Golf Club just the day before—he took a sigh of relief…then he moved on.
Coming into the Bert Linton Inter-Academic Athletic League Invitational Golf Tournament, Marv was ranked only 10th out of 24 golfers. However, that did not stop him from playing one of the best rounds of golf that he had ever played in his life. Coach Martin describes, “There was not a whole lot of expectations, and to see the look on his face when he came to the scorer’s table, and I asked him ‘How did you do?’ He said, ‘I did really well.’” Though Marv brushed off his amazing performance, his growing excitement to see that he still owned the lead as each group of golfers came in was evident. Finally, as the last group strolled into the scorer’s table, Marv took a sigh of relief. He had won.
As a sophomore at Germantown Academy, Marv was one of the youngest golfers in league history to win the individual tournament. Yet, he did not let the attention consume him. He just went on with his same routine—later that night, going out to dinner with his family and then hanging out with his friends dressed in a Buzz Lightyear costume. But that’s how Marv approached life: constantly moving, taking things one day at a time, and soaking in every bit of the moment as he can.
Going back to his rounds of golf with his dad and siblings at Old York Country Road, Marv has always displayed a love for the sport. “Unlike most people, Luke showed an extreme passion for sports at a young age. It wasn’t just because he found it fun, it’s because he just loved to spend time with his closest friends” said Sarah Marvin, Luke’s younger sister. Golf provided Marv an outlet to foster connections with not only his friends and family but also with people whom he did not know.
When Marv arrived at Germantown Academy in his freshman year of high school, Jack McHugh ‘19, Wills Jordan ‘19, and Nick Schnur ‘19 immediately welcomed him to the golf team. “Not knowing anyone on the team was a little nerve wracking but they brought me into the team like I’ve always known them. I still talk to them pretty often. That’s the kind of mentor I’m trying to be.” His teammates created a seamless transition into the Upper School for Marv, preventing many common difficulties that incoming freshmen face. Although they did not have a very successful golf season in his freshman year, Marv’s teammates helped create a welcoming environment that he continues to foster today.
However, the lack of success did not carry into the winter of his freshman year, as the JV basketball team finished with an undefeated season under Coach Mike Kehoe. This season was of monumental importance to Marv as he describes, “the season gave me a hunger to win that I’ve just never had before.” Not only that, but Luke developed an important connection—on and off the court—with freshmen teammates Quin Korman, Jacob Hsu, Casey Traina, Blake Smith, Cole Putnam, and Mike McGhee, who are still his closest friends today.
With his freshman year in the books, Marv immediately shifted his focus onto his sophomore year, consistently golfing and playing basketball so that he could take the next step. And he did so, making the varsity team in both sports in only his sophomore year. However, it wasn’t just an ordinary season. Marv and his teammate Serena Bagga, who was a freshman at the time, had amazing seasons and were the only two GA golfers to qualify for the individual championship. “It was crazy. They dominated the entire season and no one saw it coming” said teammate and close friend Jack Luviano. But Marv did not stop there, having one of the best performances of his career in the most important match of his career: scoring a 73 and edging out Tyler Zimmer of Haverford by a single stroke. I asked him how this moment has shaped him today and he immediately responded, “this is what gave me my confidence. I was only a sophomore at the time so I made a name for myself early on.”
Unfortunately, the outbreak of COVID-19 prevented the Inter-Ac from playing complete seasons and major tournaments in Marv’s junior year. However, that did not stop him from taking major strides in his game. Marv was able to consistently put up shots in the gym and build his connection with his teammates to the extent where he became a featured player of the offense. When asked about Marv’s impact on the team, former teammate and Villanova basketball player Jordan Longino describes, “he was the glue of our team. Anytime we needed a spark off the bench, we knew we could count on him.” Teammate Jacob Hsu states, “He’s always in the moment and doesn’t adhere to the pressure. He’s such a high-character guy who’s more than just a basketball player.” And Jacob is right. Marv was, and still is, someone who values academics as well.
While the pandemic outbreak took away opportunities for his athletic career, Marv was able to take advantage of the extra time by applying himself to his academics and achieve his best grades yet with his hardest workload yet. When I asked him about the difficulty of maintaining high academic performance while focusing on sports, he responded, “It’s the hardest balance in high school, especially while you’re in season. It’s a grind, but it’s important.” He even continued to offer advice for underclassmen: “Time management is probably the most important skill. You have to be able to utilize your free time so you can focus on the game while you’re out there.”
Now in his senior year, Marv leads by example, paving the way for the next generation of GA athletes. As if being a golf captain wasn’t enough in the fall, he joined the infamous third-team soccer. When I asked him why he wanted another commitment, he immediately responded, “I don’t really view it as a commitment, it’s just kind of a fun opportunity for me to put the boots back on.” And so Marv and 12 other seniors took on a leadership role by creating a welcoming community for the freshmen along with the help of coaches Stephen Combs and Joe Stinson. Though Marv was unable to attend many practices due to his commitment to golf, he helped lead the team to an incredibly successful season, only losing once. But what he found most valuable was the fact that he introduced the freshmen to the GA community just as the seniors had done in his freshman year.
Marv continued to pile on success in the fall as he helped lead GA golf to its most successful season in over two decades. The team finished with a record of 28-2 including finishing first in four tournaments, and second in the other two; ultimately taking home the Inter-Ac League trophy for the first time since 1995. GA even went on to win the PAISAA title with a score of 230. Along with Luke, the team included historic performances throughout the season from Ajeet Bagga, Serena Bagga, Kiran Bagga, Seth Roth, Jack Luviano, Charlie Ota, and Will Irons. Ajeet finished on top of the leaderboard for the PAISAA title by five strokes and Will Irons played extremely well along with Ajeet and Kiran in the individual championship at Bluestone Country Club.
Although Marv did not have an outstanding year individually, his leadership was evident in the team’s success. When asked if Marv has a noticeable effect on his peers, Coach Martin immediately responded, “Definitely. He very much sets the tone to make sure that everybody is handling their responsibilities.” He went on to add, “we’re a co-ed team and Serena and Kiran are part of the team. There’s no difference in his leadership.” Marv made it a priority to become a mentor for his younger teammates, even those that faced the difficulty of breaking the gender barrier. Marv valued the ability to pay forward the skills he learned as a freshman and it clearly worked.
Then came the basketball season…and Marv did not hesitate to make an impact. In the first game of the season vs. Cristo Rey, he put on quite the show. Coach Chubb recounts, “It was a tight game, he was driving to his left and he shot this very weird, awkward, unconventional layup/skyhook, and I said to myself on the bench ‘What are you doing?’, and then he made it and we won the game because of it.” Marv continued to impress his coaches and teammates, earning a starting spot on the team, to be selected as a captain, and the nickname “Marvelous Marv.” Coaches and teammates went on to describe him as a “high IQ player,” “hard worker,” “great mentor,” and even “one of our best players this year.”
Sadly, his high school athletic career is coming to a close as the basketball season winds down but Marv is not taking it for granted: “Every game I play, I know it’ll be one of my last. I have to leave it all on the court.” Although Marv plans to continue playing golf and basketball in his free time, it is not a priority of his to play at a college level. He speculates, “I will continue to consider it but I’m going to put my academics first and go to the best school I can. I may play club sports, but we’ll have to see.” Once again, Marv refuses to focus on anything but the present.
Throughout his high school career, one thing is clear about Marv: he doesn’t settle. His ability to constantly set a goal for himself has enabled him to take progressions that many others just cannot do. He refuses to get wrapped up in the past because he thinks that it slows him down. Maybe he’s moving too fast for himself, or maybe he’s just living in the moment and taking things one step at a time.