2023 WPH Race 4 Eight Salt Lake City Aces Player’s Championship: Sunday

Day 3 at the 2023 Aces Player’s Championship

Salt Lake City, UT, WPH Press, 5/7/23

The final day of the ten-event 2022/23 Race 4 Eight season concluded on Sunday, with the Race 4 Eight’s best aiming to finish the season by taking home the most coveted prize in professional handball.

R48 Final: Carroll vs. Canales

Killian Carroll was appearing in his twenty-eighth Race 4 Eight final and seeking his twenty-second R48 win, while Leo Canales became the nineteenth different player to advance to a R48 final in the eightieth Race 4 Eight event.

Both Carroll and Canales were pushed to the limit in Saturday’s doubleheader, as both played two grueling matches in the thin Salt Lake City air.  

Canales was on fire to start the match, winning the first five rallies of the match with head-fake ace serves and precision ceiling shots and kills. “Really a dream start for Leo,” stated R48 #2 Martin Mulkerrins courtside with ESPN’s Kara Mack.

Carroll quickly erased the early deficit, playing clinically to score nine straight points. Canales would not go away, rallying to tie the game at ten and showing that his first final was not overwhelming against the Race 4 Eight’s greatest men’s champion. The pair engaged in long rallies in the last third of the first game, with each shot perfectly placed until an offensive opportunity presented itself. Leo made several errors late in the game that he could not overcome, as Carroll took a one-game lead.

Killian looked as though he would run away with the match in the second, racing to a 7-2 lead by sacrificing his body to keep rallies alive and running Canales laterally in the deep court with two-wall passes. Canales created openings, eventually tying the score at eight. Canales crushed a tomahawk spike down the left, sending Carroll diving towards the back wall for an attempted retrieve. Carroll landed right on his face at full speed, a frightening moment for him and all of the fans watching courtside. A short injury timeout seemed to refocus Carroll, who raised his level after his scary fall.

“When Killian gets injured, he just plays better,” stated ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Vincent.

“This is how Killian has always been, even when we were young,” stated R48 pro Stephen Cooney. “He goes for everything and he is just relentless.”

Carroll ended the match on a 7-2 run, securing his twenty-second Race 4 Eight title and regaining the Player’s Championship he so desperately cherishes.

“I’m totally fine, the fall just hit me right in the mouth,” Carroll told ESPN’s Kara Mack in the post-match interview. “This tournament really means a lot more than all of the others. I didn’t have as much practice coming in. We were both really exhausted but to persevere and take the Player’s Championship feels awesome. It feels great to be able to play injury free. Thank you to Ace Disposal for putting on such a great event and making us feel like true professionals.”

 “It’s an honor to have Killian at this tournament and playing in the best tournament of the season,” stated Aces tournament director Ashton Steadman.

Final: Carroll def Canales 15-11, 15-10

R48 Playoffs

Fifth place final: Esser def Walsh 25-21

Sam Esser played elite handball in the fifth place playoffs, defeating Danos Cordova in the semifinals and edging hard-hitting David Walsh in the final.

Ninth place final: Fink def Cooney 25-12

David Fink took ninth for the second consecutive year at the Aces, defeating collegiate national champion Shanne Dunne in the opening round, Shorty Ruiz in the semifinals, and Stephen Cooney in the final.

R48 Finishes

1^st: Carroll

2^nd: Canales

3^rd: Lucho/Lenning

5^th: Esser

6^th: Walsh

7^th: Danos/Mulkerrins

9^th: Fink

10^th: Cooney

11^th: Ruiz/Streibig

13^th: Brady/Hernandez/ Langmack/Dunne

WR48 Final: Casey vs. Tully

Catriona Casey was aiming for her twenty-fifth WR48 title in twenty-seven WR48 starts and her eight Player’s Championship and eighth Player’s Cup, while Fiona Tully was appearing in her fourth WR48 final and seeking her first title.

Fiona Tully started extremely well in the final, taking a 3-0 lead with phenomenal serves and kills. Casey raised her level after Tully’s fast start, using two-wall and bounce passes to keep Tully out of the front court and patiently waiting for her opportunities to end rallies. Casey’s game continued to rise throughout the match, as the more Tully challenged her, the better Casey played. After ending the first game on a 15-2 run, Casey cruised in game two to win her twenty-fifth WR48 title, her eighth WR48 Player’s Championship, and her eighth WR48 Player’s Cup.

“It’s huge because as you get older you appreciate things more and realize how hard you have to work for them,” stated Casey. “The fitness maybe came easier before, so this one means so much to me. It means an awful lot to have the support (from home) and that always helps to get over the line. Thanks to the WPH and everyone here in Salt Lake for a great tournament and Owen Gloves and my coach Eugene.”

Final: Casey def Tully 15-5, 15-5

WR48 Playoffs

Third place final: McCrory def Ruiz 25-5

Fifth place final: Tuohey def Munroe inj. fft

Eilise McCrory was too strong for Ashley Ruiz in the WR48 third place final, while Aimee Tuohey defeated Danielle Daskalakis in the fifth place semifinal and was awarded an injury forfeit win in the fifth place final when Clodagh Munroe would not play.

WR48 Finishes

1^st: Casey

2^nd: Tully

3^rd: McCrory

4^th: Ruiz

5^th: Tuohey

SR48 Final: Fink vs. Brady

David Fink was aiming to break the ten-win SR48 tie with Marcos Chavez in the Aces SR48 final, but SR48 rookie and fifteen-time R48 champion Paul Brady would be aiming for his first SR48 title.

The highly anticipated SR48 matchup between David Fink and Paul Brady did not materialize, as Brady re injured his finger playing Bill Mehilos in the semifinal the night before.

“I was really looking forward to playing Dave and hopefully there will be another opportunity to play him in the future,” stated Brady. “I really enjoyed being back after really doing nothing for a year.”

“I was excited to play Paul and his injury was very unfortunate,” stated Fink.

With the win, Fink now has the most SR48 titles in history with eleven, in addition to four consecutive SR48 Player’s Cups.

Final: Fink def Brady inj. fft

SR48 Playoffs

Third place final: Bill Mehilos def Kyle English 25-13

Fifth place final: Jim Karner def Greg Sizemore 25-17

SR48 Finishes

1^st: Fink

2^nd: Brady

3^rd: Mehilos

4^th: English

5^th: Karner

Thank you!

Thank you to the Ace Team for another outstanding event in Salt Lake City. Thank you to tournament director Ashton Steadman, Ruben Garza. Matt Stalsberg, Lon Stalsberg, Scott Bebee, and all of the Aces volunteers. Thank you to the WPH staff for an incredible ten-event season.

Watch replays from Salt Lake City on ESPN+.

For more info, including starting times and to follow all of the brackets HERE

David Fink

WPH Senior Writer