This Week in Chicago State Athletics

This Week in Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State's 2021-22 fall sports season kicks off this week with men's and women's soccer, volleyball and men's and women's cross country all reporting to campus and set to compete in the coming weeks.
 
You can follow the Cougars on social media at @ChiStateCougars on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and can keep up to date with all the athletics information and news at GoCSUCougars.com.
 
Click here to access the 2021-22 Chicago State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics composite schedule.
 
August 19
-Women's Soccer
at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
The Chicago State women's soccer team will kick off it's 2021 season at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Thursday, Aug. 19. The Cougars advanced to the Western Athletic Conference Soccer Tournament a season ago and will look use that experience going into their 18-game season schedule.
 
August 22
-Women's Soccer
at Bellarmine
The Cougars women's soccer team will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, for its second match in four days, taking on Bellarmine on August 22 at noon.
 
Looking Ahead…
-Men's Basketball
The Cougars men's basketball team is under new leadership heading into the 2021-22 campaign. Gerald Gillion was named head coach on July 19, 2021. He joins Chicago State after one season with the Samford Bulldogs where he was credited with recruiting Samford's most talented class in program history.
 
Prior to joining the Bulldogs, Gillion was as an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech (2017-19) where he helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 19-12 record in his first season in Cookeville (2017-18).
 
Joining him on his staff is associate head coach Baronton Terry and assistant coach Tramaine Stevens.
 
The non-conference schedule, set to be released later this week, features back-to-back home games against Division I opponents to start the season, something which hasn't occurred at Chicago State since 1989-90. Tickets will be on sale soon.
 
-Men's Soccer
Men's soccer will be the first sport to host an event at home, hosting Big Ten foe Northwestern on Thursday, August 26 at 7 p.m. Aside from being the season opener, the game has been designated as Youth Soccer and Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night. Tickets for select home soccer games, men's and women's, are available here.
 
-Volleyball
The Cougars volleyball team, fresh off achieving its first-ever WAC Tournament appearance and victory, begin play Aug. 27-28 at Eastern Illinois in a four-team tournament featuring Bellarmine, IUPUI and host EIU. The squad will then return home to host the four-team Windy City Classic, featuring Niagara, North Dakota State and UNC Charlotte. Ticket information will be released soon.
 
-Men's and Women's Cross Country
The Chicago State men's and women's cross country teams are expected to begin competitions in September and their competitive schedules will be released soon.
 
Upcoming Home Events
Aug. 26 – Men's Soccer vs. Northwestern (Youth Soccer & Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night), 7 p.m.
Aug. 29 – Men's Soccer vs. Detroit Mercy, Noon
Aug. 29 – Women's Soccer vs. St. Thomas, 3 p.m.
 
Tickets for all men's and women's home soccer games are available here.
 
*all dates and times are subject to change
 
Get your Cougars gear!
The CSU athletics Sideline Store is a one-stop-shop where you can get ALL your Chicago State Cougars gear 24/7/365. Click here to access the online store and get your Cougars gear today.
 
Cougar Pride Fund
The Cougar Pride Fund, an annual giving component benefiting student-athlete scholarships and sport program operations, is in its second year and offers a variety of membership levels. As a foundational-level member of the Cougar Pride Fund, members will be witness to the unfolding of an era of growth within Chicago State University's athletic programs. In order to take our next step in developing competitive programs, supporting our student-athletes through cost of attendance and sport program operations is crucial.
 
More information on the Cougar Pride Fund can be found here.
 
Chicago State University Athletics Podcast
Chicago State University Athletics has its first official podcast. The Chi State Pod serves to tell the stories of Cougars past, present and future through open and honest longform interviews. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
 
The latest episode features Chicago State University women's basketball player Ana Haklicka with several featured guests coming soon, including new head men's basketball coach Gerald Gillion. Click here to listen.