LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The branches on
Cogan DeRousselle's family tree run as wide as the branches and as deep as the roots of the Southern live oak, a tree that is iconic to the swampy habitat of southern Louisiana. While his immediate family lives in a suburb of Houston, his extended family stretches across Acadiana and will converge upon Lafayette when the Sun Belt Outdoor Track and Field Championships convene Thursday with a particular Ragin' Cajun legend on hand to cheer for the Trojan sophomore.
DeRousselle is a famous name around the track circles – or ovals – in Lafayette. An extended cousin to Cogan, Charles DeRousselle was a legendary hurdler and relay member in the mid 1980s for the Ragin' Cajuns, running into the record books with a pair of school records and handful of top times.
As if the pressure of a championship meet wasn't enough,
Cogan DeRousselle will have the eyes of that legend, and of dozens of other family members, on him when he runs in the 200m prelims Thursday evening under the lights at the Home Bank Track Facility. Charles' 86-year old father has reminded the Cajun legend three times over the past weekend that the Sun Belt meet featuring Cogan is coming up. Over 20 extended family members are expected to be in attendance later this week.
"All my life he was the person who got me to be the hurdler I am," Cogan said of his cousin, Charles. "When I first started my freshman year, I was running a 19 in the 110s. His feedback and weekly critique got me to a low 14 in the same year. He has been a big influence in my hurdle career since I've started."
Charles' name is dotted throughout Louisiana's record book as he was part of the school record 4x800m and sprint medley relay teams while ranking third in Louisiana's history in the 400m. He clocked a personal best time of 50.76 in the 400m hurdles in 1986, a mark that still ranks third in Louisiana's history. For context, that time would lead the Sun Belt Conference today by nearly 0.7 seconds.
"He resembles me a lot. He has that same gift I had," Charles said of Little Rock's DeRousselle. "I had that ability in the longer races, the 400 and up, while Cogan has it in the sprints, lower than 400. But that ability is still there in him."
Cogan heads to south Louisiana, home to many of his extended family members, with a personal best time of 21.47 in the 200m dash. He is expected to run in the 4x100m relay,
which ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference a mere 0.02 seconds behind Texas State. That relay team is expected to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Championships on May 25-28 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
As he runs those races in Lafayette, he will have the chance to do something Charles never had the opportunity to achieve – reach the podium. Charles ran track for Louisiana from 1982 to 1984 and in 1986. In three of those four years, the Ragin' Cajuns were independent, lacking a conference home. Only in his freshman season of 1982 did Louisiana belong to a conference as members of the Southland Conference. But he did qualify for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track Championships during his career.
"It is a must," Cogan said of the 4x100m relay reaching the podium later this week.
Cogan's drive to reach the podium is more about the desire to leave a lasting mark on the Sun Belt rather than living up to any family expectations. This will be the final Sun Belt Championship meet for the Trojans before Little Rock becomes members of the more regionally aligned Ohio Valley Conference in July.
It will also be the first time Charles will be able to see Cogan run track. That doesn't dilute the pressure Cogan may place upon himself as he gets closer to the meet's opening day Thursday, a pressure that may reach as high as the humidity that is as native to southern Louisiana as the live oak trees.
"This the first time he will be there in person since he is living in Louisiana, so the nerves are high because I want to impress him," Cogan said of his cousin.
For Charles, it will be an emotional three days. In addition to seeing a family member race upon the same track he set records on nearly 40 years ago, the conference championship meet will serve as an unofficial team reunion as his teammates will also gather to watch the championship action.
"Just sitting here thinking about being able to watch Cogan run in person this week, I've already got tears in my eyes," Charles said. "The anticipation for us, as a family, is huge. We are all totally excited. It's going to be a great weekend. We can't wait to see him race and just want him to do well."
As for the Cajun legend, his advice to his younger relative is simple.
"Just put it all on the table," Charles said. "The nerves will be with you all the way into the blocks and as the gun goes off. But then show them (the field) what you know you can do and leave it all on the table."
When Cogan cross that finish line, he'll look up to see a host of DeRousselles in the crowd, more than ever could fit under the shade of an old live oak tree.
The Sun Belt Championships begin on Thursday with multis at 9 a.m. and field events at noon. Running events start at 7:10 p.m. Action continues through Saturday evening with all three days' worth of events broadcast live on ESPN+.
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