Student-Athlete Of The Month: Luke Miller

Luke Miller is comfortable with being uncomfortable.

The Severna Park resident opted for the Owings Mill-located McDonogh for his high school experience. He had to sacrifice a great public school option and most of his day-to-day social group for the right opportunity for him. More comfortable as a team player in lacrosse, he had to start showcasing and selling himself when recruiting attention picked up.

And when COVID hit, he had to find a way to keep his lacrosse fire burning.

The rising McDonogh senior found a way to stay sharp and help middle school lacrosse players do the same, almost by accident.

"That summer, my dad put out a little Facebook post with my lacrosse resume and where I'd be, and it kind of took off from there," Miller said. "I'd set up a goal at the middle school or at Kinder, and just have a couple of sessions with the kids. It was really fun, and I've stuck with it."

Now three summers in, Miller trains a handful of younger players from the Annapolis and Severna Park areas while doubling as a player for the Annapolis Hawks lacrosse club. It keeps him sharp from between lacrosse and football seasons, but it has also provided an outlet for another passion of his: paying it forward within lacrosse.

"I really enjoy being able to teach lacrosse and pass on the passion that I have and to inspire the kids to do something in the lacrosse community when they get older," Miller said.

That passion is self-igniting and carries over from his coaching into his play.

On the field this past season, Miller scored 46 goals and added 27 assists, earning All-MIAA honors as he helped McDonogh repeat as "A" Division champions this spring. In his three years at McDonough, the team has never fallen short of the semifinals. Instead of embracing the individual honor, he paid tribute to the team's "awesome attack line."

During the team's run to the 2023 championship, Miller's young lacrosse life came full circle: the semifinals were played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, home to the now-defunct Chesapeake Bayhawks of the Major Lacrosse League.

"It's really fun to play close to home," Miller said. "Going to McDonogh, most of my games are up in Baltimore, so it was nice going to a stadium close to home and one I've always dreamed of playing in. My uncle played for the Bayhawks, so even at a young age, that inspired me to play lacrosse and get to that level."

Miller and his McDonogh teammates are angling for a three-peat in the 2024 season, after which Miller will graduate and continue his academic and athletic career at the University of Notre Dame, which won its first NCAA men's lacrosse championship in June.

Miller was in attendance in Philadelphia when the Fighting Irish beat Duke for the title, and he both took notes on what it would take to get to that level and drew inspiration from what he witnessed.

"Everything's faster, everyone's stronger, everyone's better and their stick skills are better," Miller said. "But just the pure joy on all the young men's faces winning the game was truly inspiring, and it made me want to work that much harder to experience that myself."

When Miller is able to sign, it will only be another start on his journey, but one with a platform built on stepping outside of his comfort zones.

"I knew if I take this risk and leave all my friends and stuff like that, it's going to be hard," Miller said. "But in return, I hoped I'd be able to get a great opportunity with academics and sports to get a great future for myself. It was a risky jump, but I'm really glad I did it."

The Voice’s Student-Athlete of the Month is proudly sponsored by Matt Wyble of www.mattwyble.com. Contact Zach Sparks at zach@severnaparkvoice.com to nominate a local student making a positive impact through sports.