Twenty years ago, her uncle attended Navy. Now 17 years after his death, Maggie Borek is following in his footsteps.

The similarities between Maggie Borek and her uncle, Travis Manion, might seem obvious now that Borek has begun her freshman, or “plebe,” year at the Naval Academy, where Manion graduated in 2004.

Borek’s mother, Ryan, however, has noticed her brother’s spirit shining through her daughter for years.

“She’s had this kind of intensity and drive that I remember seeing a lot when we were younger,” Ryan Manion said in a phone interview.

On Saturday, Borek will trace more of her uncle’s footsteps when she dons her lacrosse jersey for the Midshipmen against the University of Maryland.

In 2004, Travis Manion, a three-sport standout at La Salle College High School, graduated from the Naval Academy, where he was an accomplished wrestler.

About three years after he graduated top five in his class, Manion was killed by an enemy sniper in 2007, but not before twice revealing his location to pull wounded Marines to safety during an ambush in Iraq.

His third attempt was his last, a final act of heroism that Borek and her family honor through the Travis Manion Foundation, a national nonprofit based in Doylestown that serves veterans, military families, and others.

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Following his death, Manion was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor.

“I always wanted to follow in his legacy and I always wanted to do something bigger than myself like he did,” Borek said. “He put his life before others, and I think coming here, following in his footsteps, and doing something that I love, has just been surreal, walking the same halls he walked 20 years ago.”

Ryan and Travis, separated by just 15 months, were born on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

They were “exceptionally close,” Ryan said. Moving 13 times within the first 11 years of life, typical of a military childhood, likely helped.

“We were surrounded by all things Marines,” Ryan said, “but my dad never pushed it on us — he wanted us to pursue our passions and, whatever we did, to be great at it.”

Tom Manion, now a retired Marine Corps colonel, played lacrosse at Widener and continued on club teams during his military career.

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The family settled in Doylestown, where Ryan excelled on the lacrosse field at Central Bucks East. Travis played football at La Salle, where he also was an all-American wrestler, an all-Catholic League lacrosse player, and an all-around good guy.

“There were so many instances after his death where people would share little stories about how Travis stood up for them when they were bullied in high school,” Ryan said. “I had a friend who didn’t have a prom date. Without a question, he said, ‘OK, I’ll take her.’ He was just that kind of guy.”

His fierce loyalty may have been matched only by the ferocity of his focus, a trait Ryan sees in her daughter.

Borek was in middle school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when she found an old lacrosse goal, rusty and rickety.

Disappointment seemingly fueled her attempt at refurbishment. Weeks earlier, she learned she hadn’t made the final roster of an elite travel lacrosse squad.

So she restrung the goal, employing shoelaces in places string couldn’t quite cinch.

“That thing was literally falling apart,” Ryan said, laughing. “She got it into condition enough that she could use it, and that kid was outside every day for hours and hours and hours, just shooting the ball. It was pretty awesome.”

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Ryan Manion recalled how, in their youth, Travis, who was outgoing and popular, could be found lifting weights on a Friday night or mentally preparing for a wrestling match.

“But I was more worried about what party was happening that night,” she said jokingly. “It was hard for me [to] comprehend, ‘Wait, you’re not going out?’”

Don’t be fooled, however, by her modesty. Ryan Manion was a standout lacrosse player at Widener and Cabrini.

Actually, the way she selflessly juxtaposed her brother’s focus against her own seems indicative of a family trait.

“It’s just in our blood,” Borek said of her family’s commitment to selfless service. “I think our whole family has it.”

After Travis was killed, his and Ryan’s mother and the family’s matriarch, Janet, started the foundation in his name.

“In the beginning it was, ‘How can we continue Travis’ legacy of service?’” Ryan said.

“Over the last 17 years, it has grown into one of the largest veterans services organizations in the country.”

Janet died in 2012 from cancer at age 58. Ryan Manion is the foundation’s chief executive officer.

Borek started a club in her uncle’s name at Germantown Academy, where she helped organize events that served veterans, Gold Star families, and children from Afghanistan who immigrated to Philadelphia.

“The pride that my husband [Dave Borek] and I, and our entire family, feel for her is overwhelming,” Ryan said. “I always knew she was a special kid.”

Borek, 18, certainly has embarked upon a familial journey, but the next stage, she must walk alone.

It began with six weeks of “plebe summer,” which, she said, is designed to prepare incoming freshman for the physical and mental rigors of the academy.

It’s also a chance to decide if you’re in the right place. “Plebes,” or freshmen, don’t have access to cell phones and can communicate with family only via letters.

“Yes,” Borek said, “there were a few in my company who dropped out.”

She, however, knew what to expect. Her resolve, she said, never wavered. Borek has known the Navy would be her future for as long as she can remember.

She knew that would include lacrosse when coach Cindy Timchal, who was a star at West Chester, recruited her.

Borek, who started at GA as a freshman and scored more than 100 points in her career, committed to Navy at 16 years old.

“When you come here,” Borek said, “you have a mission, and you have to work hard to come out and lead enlisted sailors, and that’s a really big responsibility.”

It’s too soon to define her role on the team this season, she said, but as its youngest player, she’s looking forward to learning from those who came before her — perhaps the way she’s done all her life.

“It’s just been a great experience for me,” she said. “The team, the coaches, they’re supportive; they take care of you. They’re all like my big sisters, and I’m just excited that I have four more years to grow as a player and also as a leader.”