Denver, CO, WPH Press, 10/26/25
The Denver Athletic Club and tournament director Joel Barber proudly presented the 2025 R48 Pre Qualifier at the DAC, featuring the best players and the best facility in the Rocky Mountain Region. The Men’s Open Singles served as the Rocky Mountain’s R48 Pre Qualifier for the 2025/26 Race 4 Eight season.
“The WPH was thrilled to partner with the famed Denver Athletic Club and tournament director Joel Barber in hosting the October 24-25, 2025 R48 Pre Qualifier at the DAC,” stated the WPH’s David Fink. “The Denver Athletic Club is always hosts outstanding events with great fields and adding the Race 4 Eight qualifier certainly added to the excitement.”
R48 Pre Qualifier Singles at the DAC Open
Twenty-three players from Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, and Ireland competed in the R48 Pre Qualifier Singles at the DAC Open, all vying for the travel stipend and a chance to compete on the 2025/26 Race 4 Eight tour. The Gutierrez brothers entered as the top seeds, joined by Kevin Price and Joel Barber in the DAC’s top four seeds.
Junior national champion and one of the sport’s brightest young stars cruised through the upper bracket of the DAC R48 Pre Qualifier as the top seed, advancing to the final without dropping a game. EG booked his ticket to the final with a two-game sweep against left-handed powerhouse Stas Hammond in the semifinals.
Jon Gutierrez entered the DAC R48 Pre Qualifier as the second seed and faced Rocky Mountain legend Kevin Price in the bottom bracket semifinals. Price’s guile and experience caused problems for the elder Gutierrez, who won the first and dropped the second against the multiple-time masters national champion. Gutierrez survived a close tiebreaker to meet his brother in the final. “Jon played great, lots of speed on the ball and really had a lot of serves that aced or kept me off balance enough to take advantage of a poor return by me,” Price would later say.
The brothers played a tremendous final, with both showcasing their power and speed in a three-game battle. Jon took a close the first game, playing aggressively in the final moments. “I closed out the first game pretty strong on the serve and shoot game,” Jon would later say.
Jon led 10-4 in the second, seemingly on the verge of upsetting his younger brother. “(At 10-4) Eli locked in and started serving and shooting great,” stated Jon, who would relinquish his lead and be outscored 11-2 in the final thirteen points of the second game.
“Eli found a big run to come from behind and take the second,” reported Barber.
Eli led throughout the tiebreaker, carrying his late second-game charge into the third.
“Game three was really controlled by Eli, but Jon stuck around to keep it close,” stated tournament director Joel Barber. “A great final.”
“Eli had the lead the whole game but I was fighting in there didn’t give it to him easy,” stated Jon. “He played great.”
Semifinals
Gutierrez def S. Hammond 15-7, 15-10
Gutierrez def K. Price 15-8, 9-15, 11-8
Final: E. Gutierrez def J. Gutierrez 12-15, 15-12, 11-7
Thank you to tournament director Joel Barber and the Denver Athletic Club for a tremendous event. “It was a great event with a ton of competitive handball,” boasted Barber.”
Follow all of the brackets from 2025 R48 Pre Qualifier at the Denver Athletic Club HERE
2025/26 Race 4 Eight Schedule HERE
Race 4 Eight Qualifier Explained HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer