Chi State Pod Chicago State University Athletics

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…


What she learned from her up-and-down junior season

How she has battled through adversity

Why she’s majoring in Criminal Justice
Much more


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…


His upbringing in Germany

His goalkeeping inspirations

Why he left his home country to play in America
Much more, including the food from home he misses most


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…


What his Summer League experience taught him

How he’s honed his unique mindset

Why he FaceTimed with Floyd Mayweather
Much more


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:


What to expect from AVCA All-American Yanlis Feliz in 2022, and why she’s even better now

His incoming class of freshman and transfers

The Cougars’ unique 2022 schedule
Much more


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 excitement of starting their first seasons as head coaches

Their respective “Cougars to watch”

Their soccer inspirations
Much more, including the matches each of them have circled on their calendars


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…


Why she made the excruciating decision to leave home, and how fulfilled she’s been since

How she challenges herself to improve her craft

Why helping those with special needs is near and dear to her
Much more

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