Kramer vs. Kramer was a legal drama movie in the late 1970s starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Legendary Episcopal track and field coach Claney Duplechin will have his own drama over the next several years, but this one will play out on the track and in workouts between two sisters. This one will be Cramer vs. Cramer. Or Lucy vs. Molly.
Episcopal's Lucy Cramer is this week's MileSplit Louisiana Future star after the seventh grader finished third in the1600 meters (5:23.41) LHSAA State Indoor Championships last Saturday. That time ranks No.10 in all classes.
Lucy's younger sister, Molly, is in the 6th grade at Episcopal and has run times as fast-and sometimes faster-than her older sister.
A perfect example was the 2020 AAU Junior Olympics. Lucy won the national championship in the 11-year old division (5:17.31), while Molly Cramer won a national championship in the 10-year old division (5:17.87).
Lucy Cramer talks about winning National Championship in 1500 at 2020 AAU JOs!
Before Duplechin started talking about Lucy Cramer, he began with the family.
"She is such a charming girl. She will come up to me after a workout and say 'thank you, coach. If you ask her to run a 75 second lap, she will run it in 73. That's just the way she is." Claney Duplechin, Episcopal Head Coach
Duplechin wasn't surprised by what Cramer did at the State Indoor Meet. He has seen Cramer compete with the state's best before, most recently at the LHSAA State Cross Country Meet in November.
Cramer finished second in Class 2A, running 19:17.50 for the three mile race, finishing second.
Top 10 LA Girls' Indoor 1600m (Full Rankings)
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5:03.79 | 2022 | ||
| 2 | 5:04.14 | 2024 | ||
| 3 | 5:05.52 | 2023 | ||
| 4 | 5:17.24 | 2022 | ||
| 5 | 5:18.77 | 2022 | ||
| 6 | 5:18.85 | 2024 | ||
| 7 | 5:18.91 | 2023 | ||
| 8 | 5:22.50 | 2025 | ||
| 9 | 5:22.86 | 2022 | ||
| 10 | 5:23.41 | 2027 |
Even before the cross country season, he saw Lucy's time in summer distance events in the Baton Rouge area and knew she would be one of his top runners.
"She is such a sweet and charming girl," Duplechin said of Cramer. "She will come up to me after a workout and say 'thank you, coach.' If you ask her to run a 75 second lap, she will run it in 73. That's just the way she is."
When you add in fellow seventh grader Anna Kurz, who finished sixth in the 3200 meters (12:25.55) at the LHSAA State Indoor Meet, Duplechin has a full fledged youth movement on his Epsicopal team.
"I've never seen anything like it," Duplechin, who is in his 44th year as head coach at Episcopal, said. "It's going to be fun to watch them develop."
