Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 5/28/19- The 2018/19 Race 4 Eight season featured nine R48 Men’s Pro events, three SR48 stops and three WR48 stops. The R48 Men’s Pro featured five different champions in nine stops, while the #1 pros on the WR48 (Casey) and SR48 (Fink) nabbed the six available titles on the WR48 and SR48 events this season, respectively.
The sensational 2018/19 Race 4 Eight 8 season concluded with the Aces Player’s Championship in Salt Lake City, with Killian Carroll clinching his fourth consecutive R48 Player’s Championship and third title of the season, while WR48 #1 Catriona Casey clinched her sixth consecutive WR48 Player’s Championship and 18th WR48 title overall and David Fink clinched his first SR48 Player’s Championship and fifth SR48 title overall.
Check out the final 2018/19 Race 4 Eight Elite pro’s stats below + go Inside the Numbers.
2018/19 R48 Men’s Pro (four events)
Ranking: #1
Started season: #1
Age: 6/15/1993
Hometown: Cork County, IRE (now resides in Boston, MA)
Height: 5’7
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 3rd (L. Cordova), 2-1, 80-60 (57%)
Tucson: 2nd (Lenning) 3-1, 119-85 (58%)
Portland: 2nd (D. Cordova), 4-1, 132-53 (71%)
Montana: 1st (Lenning), 4-0. 133-64 (68%)
San Francisco: 1st (Lenning), 4-0, 144-86 (63%)
NYAC: 3rd (McCarthy), 2-1, 90-52 (63%)
Salt Lake City: 1st (D. Cordova), 4-0, 129-62 (68%)
Average finish: 1.9
Combined points won/lost: 827-462 (64%)
Season record: 23-4
Season highlights: Carroll eclipsed Luis Moreno for second all-time R48 wins with his victory in Montana and added two more titles in San Francisco and Salt Lake City to stand just two titles from tying R48 Men’s Pro record-holder Paul Brady (15)
Ranking: #2
Started season: #2
Age: 4/18/1985
Hometown: Shoreline, WA
Height: 6’2
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 3rd (D. Cordova), 2-1, 79-51 (61%)
Tucson: 1st (Carroll), 4-0, 129-91 (59%)
Portland: 3rd (D. Cordova), 3-1, 112-66 (63%)
Montana: 2nd (Carroll), 3-1, 115-112 (51%)
Tucson LTE: 3rd (Fink), 2-1, 108-87 (55%)
San Francisco: 2nd (Carroll), 3-1, 129-85 (60%)
Salt Lake City: 3rd (D. Cordova), 2-1, 73-77 (49%)
Average finish: 2.4
Combined points won/lost: 745-569 (57%)
Season record: 19-6
Season highlights: Lenning collected his seventh R48 title at the 2018 Tucson Memorial, playing some of the best ball of his career en-route to a two-game sweep of Killian Carroll, tying Carroll for the #1 ranking for the six weeks leading up to Portland. Lenning started and ended the season at #2, proving that he is still one of the sport’s top stars as he enters his mid 30’s
Ranking: #3
Started season: #4
Age: 9/10/1992
Hometown: El Paso, TX (now resides in Atlanta, GA)
Height: 5’10
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 2nd (L. Cordova), 3-1, 129-100 (56%)
Tucson: 5th (Fink), 3-1, 110-66 (63%)
Portland: 1st (Carroll), 5-0, 156-88 (64%)
Montana: 3rd (Carroll), 2-1, 79-53 (60%)
New Orleans: 3rd (Perez), 2-1, 92-62 (60%)
Tucson LTE: 1st (Fink), 5-0, 150-74 (67%)
San Francisco: 3rd (Lenning), 2-1, 84-70 (55%)
NYAC: 3rd (Brady), 2-1, 85-65 (57%)
Salt Lake City: 2nd (Carroll), 3-1, 115-69 (63%)
Average finish: 2.6
Combined points won/lost: 1000-647 (61%)
Season record: 27-7
Season highlights: Danos won his first R48 title in his third final, dominating then co-R48 #1’s Sean Lenning and Killian Carroll en route to the Portland title. Danos added his second R48 title in dominating fashion at the ’19 Tucson R48LTE, becoming the first R48 8 champion to not drop a game en route to the title. Danos skyrocketed into the top three this season and demonstrated that all titles will go through Danos going forward
Ranking: #4
Started season: #6
Age: 11/13/1990
Hometown: Juarez, MEX
Height: 6’1
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 1st (D. Cordova), 4-0, 151-115 (58%)
Tucson: 3rd (Lenning), 2-1, 100-60 (63%)
Portland: 3rd (Carroll), 3-1, 99-78 (56%)
Montana: 3rd (Lenning), 2-1, 85-82 (51%)
New Orleans: 1st (Perez), 4-0, 125-61 (67%)
Tucson LTE: 3rd (D. Cordova), 2-1, 96-78 (55%)
San Francisco: 3rd (Carroll), 2-1, 91-81 (53%)
Salt Lake City: 3rd (Carroll): 2-1, 101-95 (52%)
Average finish: 2.5
Combined points won/lost: 848-650 (57%)
Season record: 21-6
Season highlights: Lucho clinched his first R48 title of his career on his (then) home courts at the Recreation ATL, defeating Carroll in two games in the semifinals and overcoming his brother in a thriller in the final. Cordova added his second title of the season and New Orleans, while also becoming the first R48LTE champion in R48 history, defeating Vic Perez in the final
Ranking: #5
Started season: #5
Age: 8/2/1977
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA (now resides in Tucson, AZ)
Height: 5’11
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 7th (L. Cordova), 1-2, 75-81 (48%)
Tucson: 3rd (Carroll), 2-1, 98-87 (53%)
Portland: 9th (Iglesias), 4-1, 131-88 (60%)
Montana: 7th (Carroll), 1-2, 67-69 (49%)
New Orleans: 3rd (L. Cordova), 2-1, 92-65 (59%)
Tucson LTE: 2nd (D. Cordova), 4-1, 141-78 (64%)
San Francisco: 5th (Lenning), 3-1, 87-61 (59%)
NYAC: 5th (Brady): 3-1, 104-88
Salt Lake City: 6th (L. Cordova), 2-2, 105-90 (54%)
Combined points won/lost: 900-707 (56%)
Average finish: 5.2
Season record: 22-12
Season highlights: Fink advanced to the semifinals of the 2018 Tucson Memorial, cooling off a white hot Danos Cordova in the quarterfinals before losing to Killian Carroll in a close tiebreaker. Fink advanced to his fourth R48 final and first R48 final in 23 months at the Tucson R48LTE Hall of Fame, defeating top five R48 pros Vic Perez and Sean Lenning en route to the final before losing to Daniel Cordova
Ranking: #6
Started season: #7
Age: 3/7/1989
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Height: 5’10
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 5th (Lenning), 3-1, 89-62 (59%)
Tucson: 7th (D. Cordova) 1-2, 41-58 (41%)
Portland: 5th (Carroll), 4-1, 140-82 (63%)
Montana: 6th (Lenning), 2-2, 101-92 (52%)
New Orleans: 2nd (L. Cordova), 3-1, 122-111 (52%)
Tucson LTE: 5th (Fink), 4-1, 124-81 (60%)
San Francisco: 6th (L. Cordova), 2-2, 81-98 (45%)
Salt Lake City: 7th (D. Cordova), 1-2, 65-90 (42%)
Average finish: 5.3
Combined points won/lost: 763-674 (53%)
Season record: 20-11
Season highlights: After finishing between seventh and fifth in the four events of the season, PVic advanced to his first R48 final in New Orleans, overcoming match point against Marcos Chavez in the quarterfinals and defeating Danos Cordova in a tiebreaker in the semifinals.
Ranking: #7
Started season: #9
Age: 3/20/1974
Hometown: Yorba Linda, CA
Height: 5’10
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 6th (Carroll), 2-2, 75-95 (47%)
Tucson: did not qualify (19th)
Portland: 6th (Carroll), 3-2, 121-122 (50%)
Montana: 9th (Perez), 3-1, 105-80 (57%)
New Orleans: 6th (Perez), 2-2, 110-110 (50%)
Tucson LTE: 7th (L. Cordova), 2-2, 112-98 (53%)
San Francisco: 7th (D. Cordova), 1-2, 71-84, (46%)
Salt Lake City: 10th (Brady): 2-2, 66-84 (44%)
Average finish: 8.75
Combined points won/lost: 660-665 (50%)
Season record: 15-13
Season highlights: Chavez became the oldest (44) R48 player in history to reach the Elite 8, while also earning his first Elite 8 ranking with his ninth place win in Montana. Chavez held match point against Vic Perez in New Orleans in the quarterfinals but came just inches short of his first R48 semifinal since 2014. Chavez finished the season at #7, his highest career R48 finish. Chavez set a record for the oldest player to ever finish a R48 season in the top seven (45)
Ranking: #8
Started season: #6
Age: 10/15/1982
Hometown: Watsonville, CA (now resides in Pinole, CA)
Height: 5’10
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 7th (D. Cordova), 1-2, 62-91 (41%)
Tucson: 6th (L. Cordova), 2-2, 71-76 (48%)
Portland: 10th (Chavez), 3-2, 129-91 (59%)
Montana: 7th (L. Cordova), 1-2, 71-74 (49%)
Tucson LTE: 6th (D. Cordova), 2-2, 84-93 (47%)
San Francisco: 13th (Ruiz), 0-1, 35-38 (48%)
Salt Lake City: 13th (Iglesias), 0-2, 32-61 (34%)
Average finish: 8.9
Combined points won/lost: 484-524 (48%)
Season record: 9-13
Season highlights: Peixoto has looked outstanding at times this season, trouncing former R48 #1 Mando Ortiz twice this season in the playoffs and narrowly missing a chance at his first semifinal of the season in a tight three-game loss to Lucho Cordova in the quarterfinals in Montana. Peixoto sputtered to the finish line, blowing match points in consecutive round of 16 matches and ending the season on a four-match losing streak
Ranking: #10
Started season: n/a
Age: 9/1/1979
Hometown: Cavan, Ireland
Height: 5’9
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
NYAC: 1st (McCarthy), 4-0, 132-59 (69%)
Salt Lake City: 5th (Lenning), 3-1, 100-63 (61%)
Average finish: 3
Season record: 7-1
Combined points won/lost: 232-122 (66%)
Season highlights: Paul Brady made his first R48 start in two years at the 2019 NYAC R48LTE, seizing his record-breaking 15th R48 Men’s Pro title in dominant fashion. Brady was stunned by Sean Lenning in the quarterfinals in Salt Lake City but bounced back to take 5th. Brady still possesses the game to blow anyone off the court and will always be the player to watch in every tournament he enters
2018/19 WR48 Elite Stats
Ranking: #1
Started season: #1
Age: 8/10/1993
Hometown: Country Cork, IRE
Height: 5’3
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 1st (Ni Churraoin) 3-0, 90-25 (78%)
San Francisco: 1st (Ni Churraoin), 3-0, 90-24 (79%)
Salt Lake City: 1st (McMahon), 3-0, 90-32 (74%)
Average finish: 1
Season record: 9-0
Combined points won/lost: 270-81 (77%)
Season highlights: Casey completed another dominant WR48 season with her sixth WR48 Player’s Championship and 18th WR48 title in Salt Lake City. Casey finished the season undefeated, not dropping a game during her 9-0 2018/19 WR48 campaign
Ranking: #2
Started season: n/a
Age: 9/3/1996
Hometown: Invern, Galway, IRE (now attends graduate school in Mankato, MN)
Height: 5’9
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 2nd (Casey), 3-1, 111-49 (70%)
San Francisco: 2nd (Casey), 2-1, 77-63 (55%)
Salt Lake City: 3rd (McMahon) 1-1, 50-37 (57%)
Average finish: 2.3
Season record: 6-3
Combined points won/lost: 238-159 (60%)
Season highlights: CNC advanced to her second WR48 final in her first WR48 start in more than 18 months following knee surgery at the 2018 Tucson Memorial, nearly pushing WR48 #1 Catriona Casey to a tiebreaker in a second game overtime loss. CNC came up short in her third WR48 final in her last four starts in San Francisco, again falling to Casey
Ranking: #3
Started season: #2
Age: 3/30/1977
Hometown: Brooklyn, CA (now resides in Livermore, CA)
Height: 5’9
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 3rd (Ni Churraoin), 2-1, 65-62 (51%)
San Francisco: 5th (Reilly), 2-1, 61-66 (48%)
Salt Lake City: 6th (Tully), 2-2, 88-88 (50%)
Average finish: 4.7
Season record: 6-4
Combined points won/lost: 214-216 (50%)
Season highlights: Davis continues to defy Father Time, taking third at the 2018 Tucson Memorial and fifth in San Francisco and maintaining her top three WR48 ranking at season’s end
Ranking: #4
Started season: n/a
Age: 8/5/1998
Hometown: Roscommon, Ireland
Height: 5’4
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
San Francisco: 3rd (Casey), 2-1, 74-88 (46%)
Salt Lake City: 3rd (Casey), 2-1, 78-58 (57%)
Average finish: 3
Season record: 4-2
Combined points won/lost: 152-146 (51%)
Season highlights: WR48 tour rookie Fionna Tully stunned WR48 tour veterans Danielle Daskalakis and Ashley Moler en route to an impressive march to San Francisco’s semifinals, then added another win against Tracy at the 2019 Aces Player’s Championship and solidifying her spot in the WR48 top four
2018/19 SR48 Elite Stats
Ranking: #1
Started season: #1
Age: 8/2/1977
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA (now resides in Tucson, AZ)
Height: 5’11
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 1st (Chavez), 3-0, 90-15 (86%)
New Orleans: 1st (Chavez), 3-0, 90-11, (89%)
Salt Lake City: 1st (Chavez), 3-0, 92-32 (74%)
Combined points won/lost: 272-58 (82%)
Average finish: 1
Season record: 9-0
Season highlights: Fink picked up his fifth SR48 title in his sixth SR48 starts in winning his first SR48 Player’s Championship at the 2019 Aces Player’s Championship, defeating SR48 #2 Marcos Chavez for the fifth time in six finals
Ranking: #2
Started season: #2
Age: 3/20/1974
Hometown: Yorba Linda, CA
Height: 5’10
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 2nd (Fink), 3-1, 117-82 (59%)
New Orleans: 2nd (Fink), 2-1, 67-51 (57%)
Salt Lake City: 2nd (Fink), 2-1, 84-72 (54%)
Combined points won/lost: 268-205 (57%)
Average finish: 2
Season record: 7-3
Season highlights: Chavez lost in all three SR48 finals during the 2018/19 SR48 season, relinquishing his SR48 Player’s Championship title at the 2019 Aces Player’s Championship to his SR48 rival David Fink
Ranking: #3
Started season: #5
Age: 8/31/1976
Hometown: El Paso, TX (now resides in Bakersfield, CA)
Height: 5’7
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 5th (Canales, Sr.), 3-1, 118-79 (60%)
New Orleans: 3rd (Chavez), 2-1, 72-64 (53%)
Salt Lake City: 3rd (Chavez), 1-1, 44-40 (52%)
Combined points won/lost: 234-183 (56%)
Average finish: 3.7
Season record: 6-3
Season highlights: Garcia jumped into the SR48 top three after a third place finish in New Orleans and maintained his top three SR48 ranking with another third place finish in Salt Lake City
Ranking: #4
Started season: n/a
Age: 3/13/1972
Hometown: Vancouver, BC, CAN (now resides in Houston, TX)
Height: 6’0
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 3rd (Chavez), 3-1, 100-69 (59%)
Average finish: 3
Season record: 3-1
Season highlights: Dr. Hamel returned to the SR48 tour fir the first time in nearly three years and did not appear to miss a beat. The Panther was as smooth as ever in dominating then SR48 #3 Joe Harris and finished third with another impressive victory against Leo Canales, Sr.
Ranking: #4
Started season: n/a
Age: 9/18/1978
Hometown: Gillette, WY (now resides in Grand Junction, CO)
Height: 5’11
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Salt Lake City: 3rd (Fink), 1-1, 44-60 (42%)
Average finish: 3
Season record: 1-1
Combined points won/lost: 44-60 (42%)
Season highlights: KP outlasted former SR48 Player’s Championship finalist Chris Watkins in a grueling quarterfinal clash in Salt Lake City to advance to the semifinals, earning the pride of Grand Junction a top four SR48 ranking
- Most points won in a tournament: Danos Cordova: Portland (156)
- Killian Carroll held the longest winning streak on the R48 Men’s Pro: 10 consecutive match wins from Montana ’19 through NYAC ‘19
- The only undefeated players on the 2018/19 Race 4 Eight tour were Catriona Casey (WR48, 9-0, three titles), and David Fink (SR48, 9-0, three titles)
- Most wins this season: Danos Cordova (27)
- In 15 Race 4 Eight events this season (combining R48, WR48, and SR48), there have been seven different winners (L. Cordova, Lenning, Fink, Casey, D. Cordova, Carroll, Brady)
- Daniel Cordova and David Fink were the only players to have played in every 2018/19 R48 8 event (9)
- Highest percentage of points won in a tournament: David Fink SR48 New Orleans (89%)
- Lowest percentage of points won by any R48 Elite, WR48 Elite, or SR48 Elite: Emmett Peixoto (Salt Lake City: 34%)
- Highest percent of points won in a tournament by a R48 Men’s Pro: Killian Carroll in Portland (71%) *Carroll finished second in this event
- Most titles of any Elite Race 4 Eight star in history: Catriona Casey (18)
- Oldest Race 4 Eight star: Leo Canales, Sr. (53)
- Youngest Elite Race 4 Eight star: Ciana Ni Churraoin (22)
- Most losses of any Elite Race 4 Eight star: Emmett Peixoto and Marcos Chavez (13)
- Of the 2018/19 Race 4 Eight Elite, Catriona Casey, Ciana Ni Churraoin, Sean Lenning, Lucho Cordova, David Fink, Marcos Chavez, and Vic Perez played overtime games this season
- The three most winning players in Race 4 Eight history are Irish: Casey (18), Brady (15), Carroll (13)
- Each member of the 2018/19 R48 Men’s Pro has scored between two and six points in single-game losses this season
- Danos has won the most combined points on the 2018/19 season (1000)
- Amongst the R48 Men’s Pro, Killian Carroll won the highest percent of points on the 2018/19 season (64%)
- David Fink lost the most points on the 2018/19 season (707)
- Amongst the R48 Men’s Pro, Emmett Peixoto had the lowest percentage of points won on the 2018/19 season (48%)
To view all of the Race 4 Eight pro players bios, go HERE
Lucho Cordova on the Rise HERE
The Flying Cordovas: From Juarez Bros to R48 Pros HERE
2018/19 Race 4 Eight Preview HERE
2017/18 R48 and WR48 Match Analytics HERE
Handball Terminology + Instruction and R48 Rules HERE
WPH Power Rankings HERE
DF’s R48 Fun Facts and Trends HERE
Race 4 Eight History of Champions and Finalists HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2018/19 Race 4 Eight 8 Powered by ESPN features R48 stops in Georgia, Arizona, Oregon, Montana, Louisiana, and California, culminating with The Player’s Championship in Utah in May of 2019. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
Support the WPH and inspiring the next generation of players by becoming a WPH Patreon. Enjoy never before seen videos, pro commentary, special awards, Sports Casts archives and new episodes, live broadcasts, and much more. Become a WPH Patreon HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Statistician
Post 2019 NYAC/Pre 2019 Salt Lake City
Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 4/19/19- The 2018/19 Race 4 Eight season has featured eight R48 Men’s Pro events, two SR48 stops and two WR48 stops. The R48 Men’s Pro has featured five different champions in its first eight stops of the season, while the #1 pros on the WR48 (Casey) and SR48 (Fink) have nabbed the four available titles on the WR48 and SR48 events this season, respectively.
The R48 Men’s Pros were in action at the 2019 NYAC R48LTE, with Paul Brady winning his first R48 start in two years for his R48 Men’s Pro record 15th R48 title.
The R48, WR48, and SR48 will compete in the ninth and final stop of the 2018/19 Race 4 Eight season at the Aces Player’s Championship in Salt Lake City May 17-19.
Check out all of the 2018/19 Race 4 Eight Elite pro’s stats through the Tucson R48LTE ‘19 below + go Inside the Numbers.
2018/19 R48 Men’s Pro (four events)
Ranking: #1
Started season: #1
Age: 6/15/1993
Hometown: Cork County, IRE (now resides in Boston, MA)
Height: 5’7
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 3rd (L. Cordova), 2-1, 80-60 (57%)
Tucson: 2nd (Lenning) 3-1, 119-85 (58%)
Portland: 2nd (D. Cordova), 4-1, 132-53 (71%)
Montana: 1st (Lenning), 4-0. 133-64 (68%)
San Francisco: 1st (Lenning), 4-0, 144-86 (63%)
NYAC: 3rd (McCarthy), 2-1, 90-52 (63%)
Average finish: 2
Combined points won/lost: 698-400 (64%)
Season record: 19-4
Season highlights: Carroll eclipsed Luis Moreno for second all-time R48 wins (11) with his victory in Montana and added another title in San Francisco to stand just three titles from tying R48 Men’s Pro record-holder Paul Brady with 15 titles
Ranking: #2
Started season: #2
Age: 4/18/1985
Hometown: Shoreline, WA
Height: 6’2
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 3rd (D. Cordova), 2-1, 79-51 (61%)
Tucson: 1st (Carroll), 4-0, 129-91 (59%)
Portland: 3rd (D. Cordova), 3-1, 112-66 (63%)
Montana: 2nd (Carroll), 3-1, 115-112 (51%)
Tucson LTE: 3rd (Fink), 2-1, 108-87 (55%)
San Francisco: 2nd (Carroll), 3-1, 129-85 (60%)
Average finish: 2.3
Combined points won/lost: 672-492 (58%)
Season record: 17-5
Season highlights: Lenning collected his seventh R48 title at the 2018 Tucson Memorial, playing some of the best ball of his career en-route to a two-game sweep of Killian Carroll, tying Carroll for the #1 ranking for the six weeks leading up to Portland
Ranking: #3
Started season: #4
Age: 9/10/1992
Hometown: El Paso, TX (now resides in Atlanta, GA)
Height: 5’10
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 2nd (L. Cordova), 3-1, 129-100 (56%)
Tucson: 5th (Fink), 3-1, 110-66 (63%)
Portland: 1st (Carroll), 5-0, 156-88 (64%)
Montana: 3rd (Carroll), 2-1, 79-53 (60%)
New Orleans: 3rd (Perez), 2-1, 92-62 (60%)
Tucson LTE: 1st (Fink), 5-0, 150-74 (67%)
San Francisco: 3rd (Lenning), 2-1, 84-70 (55%)
NYAC: 3rd (Brady), 2-1, 85-65 (57%)
Average finish: 2.6
Combined points won/lost: 885-578 (60%)
Season record: 24-6
Season highlights: Danos won his first R48 title in his third final, dominating then co-R48 #1’s Sean Lenning and Killian Carroll en route to the Portland title. Danos added his second R48 title in dominating fashion at the ’19 Tucson R48LTE, becoming the first R48 8 champion to not drop a game en route to the title
Ranking: #3
Started season: #6
Age: 11/13/1990
Hometown: Juarez, MEX (now resides in Atlanta, GA)
Height: 6’1
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 1st (D. Cordova), 4-0, 151-115 (58%)
Tucson: 3rd (Lenning), 2-1, 100-60 (63%)
Portland: 3rd (Carroll), 3-1, 99-78 (56%)
Montana: 3rd (Lenning), 2-1, 85-82 (51%)
New Orleans: 1st (Perez), 4-0, 125-61 (67%)
Tucson LTE: 3rd (D. Cordova), 2-1, 96-78 (55%)
San Francisco: 3rd (Carroll), 2-1, 91-81 (53%)
Average finish: 2.4
Combined points won/lost: 747-555 (57%)
Season record: 19-5
Season highlights: Lucho clinched his first R48 title of his career on his home courts at the Recreation ATL, defeating Carroll in two games in the semifinals and overcoming his brother in a thriller in the final. Cordova added his second title of the season and New Orleans, while also becoming the first R48LTE champion in R48 history, defeating Vic Perez in the final
Ranking: #5
Started season: #5
Age: 8/2/1977
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA (now resides in Tucson, AZ)
Height: 5’11
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 7th (L. Cordova), 1-2, 75-81 (48%)
Tucson: 3rd (Carroll), 2-1, 98-87 (53%)
Portland: 9th (Iglesias), 4-1, 131-88 (60%)
Montana: 7th (Carroll), 1-2, 67-69 (49%)
New Orleans: 3rd (L. Cordova), 2-1, 92-65 (59%)
Tucson LTE: 2nd (D. Cordova), 4-1, 141-78 (64%)
San Francisco: 5th (Lenning), 3-1, 87-61 (59%)
NYAC: 5th (Brady): 3-1, 104-88
Combined points won/lost: 795-617 (56%)
Average finish: 5.1
Season record: 20-10
Season highlights: Fink advanced to the semifinals of the 2018 Tucson Memorial, cooling off a white hot Danos Cordova in the quarterfinals before losing to Killian Carroll in a close tiebreaker. Fink advanced to his fourth R48 final and first R48 final in 23 months at the Tucson R48LTE Hall of Fame, defeating top five R48 pros Vic Perez and Sean Lenning en route to the final before losing to Daniel Cordova
Ranking: #6
Started season: #7
Age: 3/7/1989
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Height: 5’10
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 5th (Lenning), 3-1, 89-62 (59%)
Tucson: 7th (D. Cordova) 1-2, 41-58 (41%)
Portland: 5th (Carroll), 4-1, 140-82 (63%)
Montana: 6th (Lenning), 2-2, 101-92 (52%)
New Orleans: 2nd (L. Cordova), 3-1, 122-111 (52%)
Tucson LTE: 5th (Fink), 4-1, 124-81 (60%)
San Francisco: 6th (L. Cordova), 2-2, 81-98 (45%)
Average finish: 5.1
Combined points won/lost: 698-584 (54%)
Season record: 19-9
Season highlights: After finishing between seventh and fifth in the four events of the season, PVic advanced to his first R48 final in New Orleans, overcoming match point against Marcos Chavez in the quarterfinals and defeating Danos Cordova in a tiebreaker in the semifinals
Ranking: #7
Started season: #9
Age: 3/20/1974
Hometown: Yorba Linda, CA
Height: 5’10
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 6th (Carroll), 2-2, 75-95 (47%)
Tucson: did not qualify (19th)
Portland: 6th (Carroll), 3-2, 121-122 (50%)
Montana: 9th (Perez), 3-1, 105-80 (57%)
New Orleans: 6th (Perez), 2-2, 110-110 (50%)
Tucson LTE: 7th (L. Cordova), 2-2, 112-98 (53%)
San Francisco: 7th (D. Cordova), 1-2, 71-84, (46%)
Average finish: 8.6
Combined points won/lost: 594-589 (50%)
Season record: 13-11
Season highlights: Chavez became the oldest (44) R48 player in history to reach the Elite 8, while also earning his first Elite 8 ranking with his ninth place win in Montana. Chavez held match point against Vic Perez in New Orleans in the quarterfinals but came just inches short of his first R48 semifinal since 2014
Ranking: #8
Started season: #6
Age: 10/15/1982
Hometown: Watsonville, CA (now resides in Pinole, CA)
Height: 5’10
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Atlanta: 7th (D. Cordova), 1-2, 62-91 (41%)
Tucson: 6th (L. Cordova), 2-2, 71-76 (48%)
Portland: 10th (Chavez), 3-2, 129-91 (59%)
Montana: 7th (L. Cordova), 1-2, 71-74 (49%)
Tucson LTE: 6th (D. Cordova), 2-2, 84-93 (47%)
San Francisco: 13th (Ruiz), 0-1, 35-38 (48%)
Average finish: 8.2
Combined points won/lost: 452-463 (49%)
Season record: 9-11
Season highlights: Peixoto has looked outstanding at times this season, trouncing former R48 #1 Mando Ortiz twice this season in the playoffs and narrowly missing a chance at his first semifinal of the season in a tight three-game loss to Lucho Cordova in the quarterfinals in Montana
Paul Brady
Ranking: n/a
Started season: n/a
Age: 9/1/1979
Hometown: Cavan, Ireland
Height: 5’9
2018/19 R48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
NYAC: 1st (McCarthy), 4-0, 132-59 (69%)
Average finish: 1
Season record: 4-0
2018/19 WR48 Elite Stats (semifinalists through one event)
Ranking: #1
Started season: #1
Age: 8/10/1993
Hometown: Country Cork, IRE
Height: 5’3
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 1st (Ni Churraoin) 3-0, 90-25 (78%)
San Francisco: 1st (Ni Churraoin), 3-0, 90-24 (79%)
Average finish: 1
Season record: 6-0
Combined points won/lost: 180-49 (79%)
Season highlights: Casey picked up her 16th WR48 title in 18 WR48 starts and likely added another challenger to her throne, as Ciana Ni Churraoin has announced herself to a serious threat to the WR48 #1. Casey overcame CNC in the second consecutive WR48 final in Frisco for her 17th WR48 title
Ranking: #2
Started season: n/a
Age: 9/3/1996
Hometown: Invern, Galway, IRE (now attends graduate school in Mankato, MN)
Height: 5’9
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 2nd (Casey), 3-1, 111-49 (70%)
San Francisco: 2nd (Casey), 2-1, 77-63 (55%)
Average finish: 2
Season record: 5-2
Combined points won/lost: 188-122 (61%)
Season highlights: CNC advanced to her second WR48 final in her first WR48 start in more than 18 months following knee surgery. CNC nearly pushed WR48 #1 Catriona Casey to a tiebreaker in a second game overtime loss. CNC came up short in her third WR48 final in her last four starts in San Francisco, again falling to Casey
Ranking: #3
Started season: #2
Age: 3/30/1977
Hometown: Brooklyn, CA (now resides in Livermore, CA)
Height: 5’9
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 3rd (Ni Churraoin), 2-1, 65-62 (51%)
San Francisco: 5th (Reilly), 2-1, 61-66 (48%)
Average finish: 4
Season record: 4-2
Combined points won/lost: 126-128 (50%)
Season highlights: Davis continues to defy Father Time, taking third at the 2018 Tucson Memorial and fifth in San Francisco, maintaining her top three WR48 ranking
Aisling Reilly
Ranking: #4
Started season: n/a
Age: 2/8/1989
Hometown: Belfast, Ireland
Height: 5’10
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
San Francisco: 3rd (Ni Churraoin), 1-1, 52-41 (56%)
Average finish: 3
Season record: 1-1
Combined points won/lost: 52-41 (56%)
Season highlights: Reilly returned from a nearly three-year hiatus from the WR48 tour to defeat top three WR48 star Tracy Davis en route to a third place finish at San Francisco’s Olympic Club
Fionna Tully
Age: 8/5/1998
Hometown: Roscommon, Ireland
Height: 5’4
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
San Francisco: 3rd (Casey): 2-1, 74-88 (46%)
Average finish: 3
Season record: 2-1
Combined points won/lost: 74-88 (46%)
Season highlights: WR48 tour rookie Fionna Tully stunned WR48 tour veterans Danielle Daskalakis and Ashley Moler en route to an impressive march to San Francisco’s semifinals, securing a top four WR48 ranking in the process
Ranking: #6
Started season: #6
Age: 1/23/1987
Hometown: Burlington, IA (now resides in Tucson, AZ)
Height: 5’7
2018/19 WR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 4th (Casey), 1-2, 57-61 (48%)
San Francisco: 7th (Tully), 1-2, 54-61, (47%)
Average finish: 5.5
Season record: 2-4
Combined points won/lost: 111-122 (48%)
Season highlights: Dr. Moler reached a career-high #3 WR48 ranking following her 4th place finish on her home court at the 2018 Tucson Memorial and added another top eight WR48 finish in San Francisco
2018/19 SR48 Elite Stats (semifinalists through one event)
Ranking: #1
Started season: #1
Age: 8/2/1977
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA (now resides in Tucson, AZ)
Height: 5’11
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 1st (Chavez), 3-0, 90-15 (86%)
New Orleans: 1st (Chavez), 3-0, 90-11, (89%)
Combined points won/lost: 180-26 (87%)
Average finish: 1
Season record: 6-0
Season highlights: Fink picked up his fourth SR48 title in five SR48 starts and second of the 2018/19 SR48 season at the 2019 SR48 New Orleans Mardi Gras, dominating the field by winning a staggering 89% of his points played in three routs
Ranking: #2
Started season: #2
Age: 3/20/1974
Hometown: Yorba Linda, CA
Height: 5’10
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 2nd (Fink), 3-1, 117-82 (59%)
New Orleans: 2nd (Fink), 2-1, 67-51 (57%)
Combined points won/lost: 184-133 (58%)
Average finish: 2
Season record: 5-2
Season highlights: Chavez advanced to the final of the 2018 SR48 Tucson Memorial without his best stuff, grinding out two tiebreaker wins en route to the final, finishing second to SR rival David Fink. Chavez finished second to Fink again at the 2019 SR48 Mardi Gras, later saying, “I’m getting really sick of losing to Fink.”
George Garcia, Jr.
Ranking: #3
Started season: #5
Age: 8/31/1976
Hometown: El Paso, TX (now resides in Bakersfield, CA)
Height: 5’7
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 5th (Canales, Sr.), 3-1, 118-79 (60%)
New Orleans: 3rd (Chavez), 2-1, 72-64 (53%)
Combined points won/lost: 190-143 (57%)
Average finish: 4
Season record: 5-2
Season highlights: Garcia jumped into the SR48 top three after a third place finish in New Orleans in an event that also saw “El Suave” oust then R48 #14 Max Langmack in the R48 draw
Tyler Hamel
Ranking: #4
Started season: n/a
Age: 3/13/1972
Hometown: Vancouver, BC, CAN (now resides in Houston, TX)
Height: 6’0
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 3rd (Chavez), 3-1, 100-69 (59%)
Average finish: 3
Season record: 3-1
Season highlights: Dr. Hamel returned to the SR48 tour fir the first time in nearly three years and did not appear to miss a beat. The Panther was as smooth as ever in dominating then SR48 #3 Joe Harris and finished third with another impressive victory against Leo Canales, Sr.
Leo Canales, Sr.
Ranking: #7
Started season: n/a
Age: 12/9/1965
Hometown: Juarez, MEX
Height: 5’5
2018/19 SR48 Finishes
Event, finish, wins/losses, total points won-lost:
Tucson: 4th (Fink), 2-2, 84-105 (44%)
Average finish: 4
Season record: 2-2
Season highlights: El Senor made his presence felt on the SR48 tour in Tucson, outlasting SR48 #3 George Garcia in a quarterfinal thriller to finish fourth overall in the outstanding SR48 Tucson field
Inside the Numbers
- Most points won in a tournament: Danos Cordova: Portland (156)
- Killian Carroll has held the longest winning streak thus far this season on the R48 Men’s Pro: 10 consecutive match wins from Montana ’19 through NYAC ‘19
- The only undefeated players on the 2018/19 Race 4 Eight tour are Paul Brady (R48, 4-0, one title), Catriona Casey (WR48, 6-0, two titles), and David Fink (SR48, 6-0, two titles)
- Most wins this season: Danos Cordova (24)
- In 12 Race 4 Eight events this season (combining R48, WR48, and SR48), there have been seven different winners (L. Cordova, Lenning, Fink, Casey, D. Cordova, Carroll, Brady)
- Daniel Cordova and David Fink are the only players to have played in every 2018/19 R48 8 event thus far (8)
- Highest percentage of points won in a tournament: David Fink SR48 New Orleans (89%)
- Lowest percentage of points won by any R48 Elite, WR48 Elite, or SR48 Elite: Emmett Peixoto (Atlanta) and Vic Perez (Tucson): 41%
- Highest percent of points won in a tournament by a R48 Men’s Pro: Killian Carroll in Portland (71%) *Carroll finished second in this event
- Most titles of any Elite Race 4 Eight star in history: Catriona Casey (17)
- Oldest Elite Race 4 Eight star: Leo Canales, Sr. (53)
- Youngest Elite Race 4 Eight star: Ciana Ni Churraoin (22)
- Most losses of any Elite Race 4 Eight star: Emmett Peixoto (11)
- Of the 2018/19 Race 4 Eight Elite, Catriona Casey,Ciana Ni Churraoin, Sean Lenning, Lucho Cordova, David Fink, Marcos Chavez, and Vic Perez have played overtime games this season
- The three most winning players in Race 4 Eight history are Irish: Casey (17), Brady (15), Carroll (12)
- Each member of the 2018/19 R48 Men’s Pro has scored between two and six points in single-game losses this season
- Danos has won the most combined points on the 2018/19 season (885)
- Amongst the R48 Men’s Pro, Killian Carroll has the highest percent of points won thus far on the 2018/19 season (64%)
- David Fink has lost the most points thus far on the 2018/19 season (617)
- Amongst the R48 Men’s Pro, Emmett Peixoto has the lowest percentage of points won thus far on the 2018/19 season (49%)
To view all of the Race 4 Eight pro players bios, go HERE
Lucho Cordova on the Rise HERE
The Flying Cordovas: From Juarez Bros to R48 Pros HERE
2018/19 Race 4 Eight Preview HERE
2017/18 R48 and WR48 Match Analytics HERE
Handball Terminology + Instruction and R48 Rules HERE
WPH Power Rankings HERE
DF’s R48 Fun Facts and Trends HERE
Race 4 Eight History of Champions and Finalists HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2018/19 Race 4 Eight 8 Powered by ESPN features R48 stops in Georgia, Arizona, Oregon, Montana, Louisiana, and California, all culminating with The Player’s Championship in Utah in May of 2019. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
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David Fink
WPH Senior Statistician