University of Minnesota Athletics
Tommy Askey to Join Gopher Wrestling Program
4/15/2024 3:55:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota wrestling has added transfer Tommy Askey to the program, head coach Brandon Eggum announced Monday.
A native of Pine Bush, N.Y., Askey spent the past four seasons at Appalachian State where he was a two-time SoCon champion and automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships at 157 pounds. He finished with a record of 74-35 for the Mountaineers, including an unbeaten 15-0 mark in league duals the past two seasons, and was a two-time all-conference honoree.
"Tommy brings a fierce determination and a style perfectly suited for Minnesota Wrestling," Eggum said. "His passion for the sport and eagerness to compete against the best are exactly what we look for in our athletes. We are excited to welcome him as a Golden Gopher."
This past season, Askey went 25-7 overall and reached the Blood Round at the NCAA Championships. He was 10-2 in duals, including a 7-0 record in conference action. Eight of his wins came by tech fall, while six were major decisions and two were by pin. He defended his title at the conference championships with a pin plus two decisions by a combined score of 17-4. Askey also won the Mountaineer Invitational, placed second at the Keystone Classic and won twice at the Cliff Keen Invitational.
In his first season in the Appalachian State lineup, Askey reached the 2023 NCAA Championships for the first time in his career as he finished with a 30-13 record after going 11-1 in duals, 8-0 in SoCon duals and 3-0 at the SoCon Championship. He entered the NCAAs with 14 straight victories, and in the last 10 matches before NCAAs, won by a combined score of 136-39 with no takedowns allowed and eight bonus point victories. He placed third at the Keystone Classic, seventh at the Southern Scuffle and eighth at Cliff Keen.
The 2011-22 campaign saw Askey go 12-10 as he placed fourth at the Appalachian Open, sixth at the Mountaineer Invitational and eighth at the Keystone Classic. He also went 4-1 at the Southeast Open to place fifth and competed at the Southern Scuffle.
His debut college season featured a 7-5 record with two major decisions. After SoCon duals, won extra matches against Bellarmine, Davidson and Gardner-Webb, and recorded a 2-0 mark at the Edinboro Round Robin Invitational.
A product of Pine Bush High School, Askey won a New York Division I state title at 152 pounds as a senior, claiming an 8-5 decision against highly ranked reigning state champ A.J. Kovacs. Askey capped a 41-0 senior season – where he was taken down just twice – as a two-time state placer who competed at 145 pounds as a junior and placed fourth in the state with a 42-6 record.
A native of Pine Bush, N.Y., Askey spent the past four seasons at Appalachian State where he was a two-time SoCon champion and automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships at 157 pounds. He finished with a record of 74-35 for the Mountaineers, including an unbeaten 15-0 mark in league duals the past two seasons, and was a two-time all-conference honoree.
"Tommy brings a fierce determination and a style perfectly suited for Minnesota Wrestling," Eggum said. "His passion for the sport and eagerness to compete against the best are exactly what we look for in our athletes. We are excited to welcome him as a Golden Gopher."
This past season, Askey went 25-7 overall and reached the Blood Round at the NCAA Championships. He was 10-2 in duals, including a 7-0 record in conference action. Eight of his wins came by tech fall, while six were major decisions and two were by pin. He defended his title at the conference championships with a pin plus two decisions by a combined score of 17-4. Askey also won the Mountaineer Invitational, placed second at the Keystone Classic and won twice at the Cliff Keen Invitational.
In his first season in the Appalachian State lineup, Askey reached the 2023 NCAA Championships for the first time in his career as he finished with a 30-13 record after going 11-1 in duals, 8-0 in SoCon duals and 3-0 at the SoCon Championship. He entered the NCAAs with 14 straight victories, and in the last 10 matches before NCAAs, won by a combined score of 136-39 with no takedowns allowed and eight bonus point victories. He placed third at the Keystone Classic, seventh at the Southern Scuffle and eighth at Cliff Keen.
The 2011-22 campaign saw Askey go 12-10 as he placed fourth at the Appalachian Open, sixth at the Mountaineer Invitational and eighth at the Keystone Classic. He also went 4-1 at the Southeast Open to place fifth and competed at the Southern Scuffle.
His debut college season featured a 7-5 record with two major decisions. After SoCon duals, won extra matches against Bellarmine, Davidson and Gardner-Webb, and recorded a 2-0 mark at the Edinboro Round Robin Invitational.
A product of Pine Bush High School, Askey won a New York Division I state title at 152 pounds as a senior, claiming an 8-5 decision against highly ranked reigning state champ A.J. Kovacs. Askey capped a 41-0 senior season – where he was taken down just twice – as a two-time state placer who competed at 145 pounds as a junior and placed fourth in the state with a 42-6 record.
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