Asya Akar awarded 2025 Jim Hague Observer Athlete of the Year

When Asya Akar was delivering spike after spike in the fall or setting new records as a jumper and thrower in the spring, it’s difficult to believe she didn’t really participate in either sport prior to arriving at Lyndhurst High School.

“I feel like I always picked stuff up quickly,” Akar said. “And I think going into high school, I knew I would do way more than just basketball. I thought I had the potential to get better and to improve the teams I was on.”

With her high school career now complete, it’s safe to say Akar did just that.

In the fall, Akar helped power Lyndhurst girls volleyball to its first sectional title since 1990, leading the Golden Bears with 224 kills. Akar then followed it up during basketball season by becoming just the seventh girl to score 1,000 career points. Akar capped off a stellar senior year and high school career by qualifying for the group championships in three different events.

Akar can now add one more honor to put a bow on a jaw-dropping senior season — The Jim Hague Observer Female Athlete of the Year for the 2024-2025 school year.

The annual award is named in honor of Hague, who was The Observer’s sports writer for more than two decades. The longtime Kearny resident and the newspaper started presenting the Athlete of the Year Award to one local male and female athlete who excelled in multiple sports in 2003.

“I feel accomplished after all the seasons because it goes quickly,” Akar said. “By taking one sport at a time, it makes me very relieved at the end. I feel proud of myself.”

Akar, who also was a star flag football player, during her freshman through junior seasons, becomes the sixth Lyndhurst girl to win the award, joining former track & field teammate Julia Tozduman to become the second-consecutive Golden Bear to receive the honor.

“She’s pound for pound the No. 1 (athlete),” said head track coach Rich Tuero, who also coached Akar in basketball and flag football. “She’s honestly the best all-around female athlete I’ve ever seen. It’s not even close. She’s good at everything.”

Akar’s versatility shined brightest in track & field. At the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 Championships when she medaled in three incredibly different events. In the triple jump, Akar’s best event, she jumped 35-0 to take second place. Akar took fifth in the 100 meter hurdles (16.56) and sixth in the discus (93-7).

Two weeks later at the Group 2 Championships, Akar then posted personal records in the triple jump (35-7), in which she took fourth place and in the 100 meter hurdles (16.12).

In 2024, Akar, along with Tozduman and Yasemin Ugurlu made history when all three medalled at the Bergen County Meet of Champions in the triple jump.

“She could do it all,” Tuero said. “Other than distance (events), she could have been on the track for the sprints, she did the hurdles. She could have thrown the shot, the discus and the javelin. She could do it all. She was that good in track.”

Akar briefly ran track at Sacred Heart School in middle school, but didn’t do jumps or throws before high school. This year was her first for the hurdles and javelin.

Prior to high school, Akar’s volleyball experience was limited to playing in the backyard with her twin brother Bartu, himself a two-sport athlete at Lyndhurst.

Despite that lack of formal experience, Akar found herself as a starting middle her freshman season for a team that went 23-5.

“Basically all of my friends were like ‘we’re doing volleyball,’ and my older cousins would play. So when I saw them on the team, I was like ‘OK, let me try this. I’m tall and I have a good chance at being good,’” Akar said. “I tried it, not knowing it was going to be more serious for me and something that I would pursue.”

“Asya came in during her freshman year and made an immediate impact. She became a varsity starter as a freshman middle hitter and never looked back,” head coach Steve Vahalla said. “She progressed each year and was eventually moved to an outside hitter where she dominated the court, both in the front and back row.”

On the outside, Akar led Lyndhurst in kills with 224 while also recording 169 digs and 31 aces as the Bears went 24-4 and shared the NJIC National Division title with Secaucus.

Two weeks after defeating Secaucus to clinch a share of the division title, Akar posted a game-best 10 kills as Lyndhurst defeated Mendham in three sets for the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 title.

“That last game, the last point where it determined if we won or not, it was just a surreal moment, knowing we did that for our town,” Akar said. “We built something and we achieved everything we wanted to.”

For the longest time, basketball was Akar’s top sport. It was the one she played the most growing up and one she was good at right from the start.

A four-year starter, Akar knew she would have to handle a larger scoring role as a senior after preseason injuries to starters Brooke Harper and Kyla Marino. Akar did that, scoring 15.9 points per game, nearly three more than her junior year, while also averaging 7.6 rebounds per game.

Despite the loss of two key starters, Lyndhurst went 15-11, a record that surprised some after all it was missing.

“We were definitely looked down upon just because we lost a couple of good players, but I don’t think that stopped us from being a good team,” Akar said. “We could have accomplished way more with more people, but I think we still did the best we could.”

On Jan. 10, 2025, Akar scored her 1,000th point. She finished with 1,206 points, the fourth most in school history.

“Asya truly does not get fazed by much,” head coach Dan Kesack said. “No matter the circumstances this season, she always carried herself with the same demeanor and confidence.

“Asya will always be remembered in the girls basketball program as an incredible person, teammate and player. She is extremely humble and is a great representative of our team and our school.”

Akar is set to continue her volleyball career at Ramapo College.

Initially, she was committed to play basketball at Ramapo. According to Akar, the opportunity is there for her to compete in both sports and did not rule out the possibility of playing both.

Whether it’s basketball or something else, when Akar does arrive at Ramapo, she is sure to be a part of multiple activities on campus in addition to volleyball.

“Whatever clubs there are, I would like to try,” Akar said. “I’m kind of spontaneous so whatever I come across and whatever opportunities Ramapo gives me, I’ll probably try because I like to put myself out there and I like to try new things all the time.

“I think really putting yourself out there and not being afraid to try new things helps because you never know what you could be good at. Trying new things never hurt. I like to figure out new things about myself.”

And if history is any indication, Akar is sure to thrive in these new opportunities.