COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Cleveland State University fencing team concluded action in the Midwest Conference Championships Sunday with the team portion of the competition inside Ohio State's French Field House.

CSU had its best-ever showing in the event as the Vikings tied for third overall, out of 20 teams, with 1,335 points. It was a five-place improvement overall for the team as Cleveland State placed eighth last season with 1,005 points.

The men's team placed second overall (735) and the women team finished in sixth place (600). It was a three-spot improvement for the Viking men compared to last season and a six-spot bump for the women.

After the conclusion of the event, head coach Andy Tulleners was named the Midwest Fencing Conference Men's Coach of the Year. It is the second straight season that he won a Coach of the Year honor, and the fourth time in 10 years overall, as he was once again recognized for revitalizing the Viking program.

Just two seasons ago, in Tulleners' first season in his second stint as head coach, Cleveland State finished in 20th place at the conference championships with a total of just 320 points. The Vikings have improved 17 places in the past two years with Tulleners' leadership and more than quadrupled their point total.

The CSU men had a pair of runner-up finishes in the team weapon events to add to freshman Lucas Bolton's individual runner-up effort Saturday. The epee and foil unit for the men both placed second. It was the second straight year the foil squad was runner-up while the epee unit improved three places from last year.

The epee squad claimed victories over Iowa (5-0) and Case Western (5-3) before upsetting second-seeded Lawrence, 5-1, in the semifinals. The foil group took down Wisconsin (5-0), Michigan State (5-0) and Chicago (5-2) to reach the finals. Both squads would fall in the final to Ohio State, the third-ranked team nationally.

The saber squad claimed a fifth-place finish to round out the Viking men. They defeated Oberlin (5-3) in the opening round before dropping their quarterfinal matchup to Wayne State (2-5). CSU rallied in the consolation bracket and closed the day with a shutout win over Lawrence (5-0) to place six spots higher than they did at the event last season.

The epee unit led the way on the women's side with a fourth-place showing, a significant improvement from last season's 12th place finish. They claimed victories over Wisconsin (5-0) and Chicago (5-3) before dropping matchups to Ohio State (0-5) and Michigan (1-5).

The women's foil squad posted a 2-2 mark to earn a seventh-place showing on the day. They topped Michigan State (5-1) before suffering a pair of losses to Michigan and Chicago by the tightest of margins (4-5). CSU closed the day well by shutting out Purdue, 5-0.

The women's saber group finished in 10th place for CSU.

The postseason will continue in two weeks for Cleveland State as those individuals that have qualified will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional hosted by Detroit Mercy.