CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State University fencing head coach Andy Tulleners was named the Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year in a recent announcement made by league administrators.

The 23 members of the conference voted on the postseason awards.

This is the third time that Tulleners has earned this honor as he also claimed the accolade in 2011 and 2014.

Tulleners engineered a dramatic turnaround from his first season to his second in his second stint at the helm for CSU.

After the Vikings tied for 20th place at the 2018 Midwest Conference Championships, he led the squad to an eighth-place finish at the 2019 event. CSU garnered 320 total points at the 2018 Championships but more than tripled that this year when it collected 1,005 points.

The Cleveland State men posted their best finish at the event in 15 years, finishing fifth with 635 points.

The men's foil unit took second place at the conference championships, finishing only behind nationally ranked Ohio State, while the men's epee team also won three team bouts at the event.

Tulleners also guided his women's foil squad to three victories at the event as the unit outplaced its seed. This was achieved despite the fact that the team was composed of three true freshmen.

Tulleners also saw 11 Vikings compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional, the highest figure for the program in five years.

Cleveland State also hosted the 2019 NCAA Fencing Championships, the first time that the University hosted this prestigious event.