WPH Press, Tucson, AZ, 5/10/23
The ten-event 2022/23 WPH Race 4 Eight season witnessed the birth of new stars, a new Player’s Cup champion, and the continued dominance of several of the Race 4 Eight’s most dominant champions.
2022/23 Race 4 Eight Player’s Cup Champions
R48: Lucho Cordova
Lucho Cordova won the R48 Player’s Cup for finishing the 2022/23 season as the number one ranked player on tour. Lucho won five of the ten events during the season, defeating the tour’s top stars en route to a 32-5 season record and the season’s top spot. With his five wins this season, Lucho has now won nine R48 titles, placing him fourth all-time on the all-time title leaderboard. Lucho became just the fifth Player’s Cup champion since the tour’s first season in 2011/12, joining Moreno, Shanks, Brady, and Carroll on the tour’s most prestigious list.
WR48: Catriona Casey
Catriona Casey clinched her eighth WR48 Player’s Cup with another undefeated season, giving her six undefeated seasons in her eight years on the WR48 tour. Casey is the only player to have won the WR48 Player’s Cup, having dominated the tour since the inaugural 2013/14 season. Casey has won twenty-five of her twenty-seven WR48 starts and her dominance shows no signs of slowing down, as Casey dominated all three events she played during the 2022/23 season, allowing ten points in just one of the eighteen games she played during the season. Casey is unquestionably the world’s most dominant professional athlete, as handball is witnessing true greatness each time she steps onto the court.
SR48: David Fink
David Fink clinched his fourth consecutive SR48 Player’s Cup during his undefeated 2022/23 SR48 season, winning his eleventh SR48 title in twelve starts at the 2023 Aces SR48 Player’s Championship. Fink dropped just one game during his undefeated 2022/23 SR48 season, facing a new crop of SR48 challengers on his fourth season on the SR48 tour. With his eleven wins, Fink now sits atop the SR48 title leaderboard. Fink is joined by John Bike and Marcos Chavez as the only players to win the SR48 Player’s Cup since the inaugural 2012/13 SR48 season.
R48 Rookie of the Year: Mark Doyle
Mark Doyle earned R48 Rookie of the Year honors with an outstanding 2022/23 rookie season that saw the young Irishman defeat three R48 Elite 8 members, fighting off match points in two of those three wins. Doyle narrowly edged Canada’s Ivan Burgos for the rookie honors, finishing twelfth in the final rankings to Ivan’s thirteenth. With his prodigal understanding of the nuances of the game and his passion for the sport, Doyle will be a factor on the Race 4 Eight tour for years to come.
WR48 Rookie of the Year: Eilise McCrory
Eilise McCrory stormed onto the WR48 tour during the 2022/23 season, reaching the semifinals in all three of her starts and announcing herself as one of the top three players on the tour in her rookie campaign. The left-handed sharp shooter became one of just four players to score double digits on Catriona Casey in WR48 history, while powering her way past a number of the WR48’s top stars. Look for the southpaw dynamo to continue to wreak havoc on the tour next season and beyond.
Race 4 Eight Sportsmanship Award: Leo Canales, Jr.
The WPH is proud to recognize Leo Canales, Jr. as the 2022/23 Race 4 Eight Sportsmanship Award winner. Leo sets the standard for sportsmanship on the Race 4 Eight tour, always treating his peers, referees, fans, and staff with respect, kindness, and sincerity. Win or lose, Canales is a role model for the tour, accepting his results with dignity and class. On a tour filled with tremendous character and integrity, Canales sets the bar for all of the Race 4 Eight stars.
Race 4 Eight Player’s Cup Champions (ranked #1 at season’s end)
R48 Men’s Pro
2012: Luis Moreno
2013: Charly Shanks
2014: Luis Moreno
2015: Paul Brady
2016: Paul Brady
2017: Killian Carroll
2018: Killian Carroll
2019: Killian Carroll
2022: Killian Carroll
2023: Lucho Cordova
WR48
2014: Catriona Casey
2015: Catriona Casey
2016: Catriona Casey
2017: Catriona Casey
2018: Catriona Casey
2019: Catriona Casey
2022: Catriona Casey
2023: Catriona Casey
SR48
2013: John Bike, Jr.
2014: Marcos Chavez
2015: Marcos Chavez
2016: Marcos Chavez
2017: Marcos Chavez
2018: David Fink
2019: David Fink
2022: David Fink
2023: David Fink
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer