XC: Cate’s Van Schendel wins Mt. SAC race

Cate’s Kyril Van Schendel claimed victory at the Mt. SAC Invitational on Friday, winning the Division-5 race in a time of 16 minutes and 9 seconds.

The sophomore led the boys team to second place in the team standings while the girls team, led by Charlotte Monke and Isabel Montes de Oca, finished third.

Van Schendel’s time is the second-fastest ever by a Cate runner at Mt. SAC. Senior co-captain Rei Imada was 14th for Cate in 18:04.

For the girls, besides, Monke and Montes de Oca, senior co-captain Jessica Liou had “perhaps her finest race of the season,” according to Rams head coach Karl Weis. Liou finished strong to grab 18th place in 22:10. Monke’s 10th-place result came with a time of 21:11. Montes de Oca was 14th overall at 21:33.

The Rams race next on Thursday at the Santa Barbara County Championships in Lompoc.