Episode 56 of the Chi State Pod features Janiah Newell, a senior guard on the Chicago State women’s basketball team.

Newell joined Chicago State last season after transferring from Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Illinois. Newell, a two-time Illinois State Champion out of Schlarman Academy, feels she’s raised her game, physically and mentally, for her senior season.

On the Chi State Pod, Newell dives into…

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 55 of the Chi State Pod features Marco Seyfert, a the starting goalkeeper for Chicago State men’s soccer.

Born and raised in Daxweiler, Germany, a small town of 800 people, Seyfert boldly moved from his hometown to Colorado Springs, Colorado five years ago to start his college career at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He then joined Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas for a season before joining Chicago State last year.

On the Chi State Pod, Seyfert dives into…

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 54 of the Chi State Pod features Fred Sims Jr., Chicago State men’s basketball’s fifth all-time leading scorer who is fresh off an NBA Summer League stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.

After playing in Austria and winning a championship, Sims Jr. was signed by the 76ers and appeared in three Summer League games, including a five-minute appearance on July 15 vs. Denver in which he scored six points on 2-of-2 shooting from three.

On the Chi State Pod, Sims Jr. dives into…

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 53 of the Chi State Pod brings on third-year Head Volleyball Coach Tony Trifonov.

Trifonov, who enters his 25th season as a collegiate volleyball coach, previews his loaded squad, which last season won 17 games in the most successful season in the program’s Division I history.

On the Chi State Pod, Trifonov dives into:

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 52 of the Chi State Pod features Aulani Fernandez and Norris Howze, head coaches for Chicago State women’s and men’s soccer.

Both Fernandez and Howze are in their first seasons as Division I head coaches and will lead their respective programs, whose seasons start later this month.

Fernandez comes from Valparaiso University, where she served as an assistant coach last season, and Howze was an assistant at Chicago State last season before transitioning into the head role.

On the Chi State Pod, the duo delves into…

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 51 of the Chi State Pod features Jaclyn Inclan, graduate student setter for the Chicago State volleyball team.

A native of Tuscon, Arizona, Inclan started her college volleyball career at her hometown school, the University of Arizona, where she walked onto the beach volleyball team. From there, she transferred to the University of New Mexico and competed for two seasons as a Lobo.

Inclan then made the grueling decision to leave home and transfer almost 2,000 miles away to Chicago State. In her first season as a Cougar in 2021, Inclan starred as a setter, helping guide the Cougars to their most wins in Division I program history.

Now, Inclan is gearing up for her sixth and final collegiate season, while finishing her degree in Occupational Therapy.

On the Chi State Pod, Inclan dives into…

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 50 of the Chi State Pod features Patrick Pires, a rising sophomore for Chicago State men’s soccer.

Pires was born and raised on a small farm on the African island nation of Cape Verde before moving to Pawtucket, Rhode Island at age seven. In Rhode Island, Pires developed into a Division I-caliber soccer player, and he kicked off his Chicago State career in the fall with over 1,000 minutes as a freshman.

On the Chi State Pod, Pires delves into…

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 49 of the Chi State Pod brings on Alexa Seiler, Chicago State women’s soccer goalkeeper. Seiler grew up in a small town near Karlsruhe, Germany and had never even left Europe before coming to Chicago to join CSU. In her freshman season, Seiler started 16 matches in goal and logged a 1-0 shutout on October 16 vs. Abilene Christian, earning the Cougars’ first WAC win in program history.

On the Chi State Pod, Seiler breaks down…

Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 48 of the Chi State Pod brings on Jelani Hewitt, Chicago State men’s basketball assistant coach.

Hewitt is a basketball lifer and junkie. A South Florida native, starred as a sharpshooting guard at Georgia Southern University, where he scored over 1,800 points, earned Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors and led the conference in scoring in 2013-14.

From there, Hewitt’s journey took him overseas for four professional seasons, including unique stops in Germany and Spain.

After retiring in 2019, he then transitioned into coaching, joining Gerald Gillion’s inaugural staff at Chicago State.

On the Chi State Pod, Hewitt dives into…

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 47 of the Chi State Pod features Saige Thor, a junior on Chicago State women’s soccer. Thor, an Ohio native, started her college career at North Park University, where played in 2019. Towards the end of her North Park tenure, Thor tore her ACL, which kickstarted a topsy-turvy 14-month rehab process detailed here in Thor’s first-person account on GoCSUCougars.com.

Thor returned to the pitch with Chicago State this fall, appearing in nine matches. But then this spring, in the Cougars’ final exhibition match of the season, Thor tore her other ACL. The deja vü news devastated Thor, who has adapted a positive growth mindset and has primed herself for the “greatest comeback yet.”

On the Chi State Pod, Thor goes into…

The Chi State Pod is hosted and produced by Sam Brief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.