Pre-Portland Player’s Championship Stats by David Fink
The 2015-2016 Race 4 Eight V season concluded in Portland with the 2016 Race 4 Eight Player’s Championship. The WPH R48, WR48 and SR48 elite electrified sold-out Portland galleries and produced an outstanding weekend of handball. Let’s break down the 2015-2016 R48, WR48 and SR48 Elite season-ending stats and career highlights.
Men’s R48Pro Elite 8
Paul Brady
- Simple Green U.S. Open ‘15: win (Moreno), finished 1st
- Tucson Memorial ‘16: did not start
- New Orleans ‘16: win (Carroll), finished 1st
- Houston ’16: semifinals (Ortiz), finished 3rd
- NYAC ’16: win (Ortiz), finished 1st
- Salt Lake City ’16: win (Lenning), finished 1st
- Portland ’16: semifinals (Carroll), finished 3rd
Average finish (not including dns in Tucson Memorial ‘15): 1.7
Current R48 ranking: 1
Brady R48 Highlights
Brady has won 13 of 17 R48 events in which he has started: lost to Ortiz at the 2014 WPH Player’s Championship, forfeit in the round of 16 at the 2015 WPH Player’s Championship, lost to Ortiz at the 2016 Houston R48 V, lost to Carroll at the 2016 WPH Player’s Championship
Brady holds the Race 4 Eight record with 13 R48 titles
Brady has held the R48 #1 ranking since the 2014 R48 IV Tucson (19 months)
Sean Lenning
- Simple Green U.S. Open ‘15: semis (Brady), finished 3rd (McCarthy)
- Tucson Memorial ‘15: win (Ortiz), finished 1st
- New Orleans ‘16: semis (Carroll), finished 3rd
- Houston ’16: finals (Ortiz): finished 2nd
- NYAC ’16: first round loss (Schneider), finished 13th (Al. Garner)
- Salt Lake City ’16: finals (Brady), finished 2nd
- Portland ’16: finals (Carroll), finished 2nd
Average finish = 3.6
Current R48 ranking: 2
Lenning R48 Highlights
5 R48 titles (3rd most behind Brady and Moreno), Career high R48 #1 ranking (January 2012), has finished inside of the top three in nine of his last 10 R48 starts since February of 2015
Mando Ortiz
- U.S. Open ’15: quarterfinal loss (Brady), finished 7th (Carroll)
- Tucson Memorial ’15: finals loss (Lenning), finished 2nd
- New Orleans ’16: quarterfinal loss (Carroll), finished 5th (L. Cordova)
- Houston ’16: win (Lenning), finished 1st
- NYAC ’16: finished 2nd (Brady)
- Salt Lake City ’16: semifinal loss (Brady), finished 3rd
- Portland ’16: semifinal loss (Lenning), finished 3rd
Average finish: 3.3
Current R48 ranking: 3
Ortiz R48 Highlights
5 R48 finals appearances, one R48 title (Houston ’16), first qualifier to advance to a R48 final (2013 R48 III Plummer), career high #3 R48 ranking (current), first player to defeat Paul Brady in R48 play (Salt Lake City ’14)
Killian Carroll
- Simple Green U.S. Open ‘15: quarterfinal loss (Lenning), finished 5th (Peixoto)
- Tucson Memorial ‘15: semifinal loss (Ortiz), finished 3rd
- New Orleans ‘16: final loss (Brady), finished 2nd
- Houston ’16: quarterfinal loss (Brady), finished 7th
- NYAC ’16: semifinal loss (Ortiz), finished 3rd
- Salt Lake City ’16: round of 16 loss (Perez), finished 13th (Moreno)
- Portland ’16: win (Lenning), finished 1st
Average finish: 4.9
Current R48 ranking: 4
Carroll R48 Highlights
Carroll became the fifth qualifier in R48 history to advance to the finals (New Orleans). Carroll has reached the highest ranking in a season of any player to start the season in the qualifier (#4), became the fifth different player to win the R48 Player’s Championship (2016) in his first R48 win
Luis Moreno
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: finals loss (Brady), finished 2nd
- Tucson Memorial ‘15: round of 8 loss (Carroll), finished 5th (D. Cordova)
- New Orleans ‘16: round of 16 loss (L Cordova), finished 10th (Peixoto)
- Houston: semifinal loss (Lenning), finished 3rd
- NYAC ’16: semifinal loss (Brady), finished 3rd
- Salt Lake City ’16: round of 16 loss (Iglesias), finished 9th (L. Cordova)
Average finish= 5.3
Current R48 ranking: 5
Since losing in the final of the 2014 WPH Player’s Championship (McCarthy), Moreno has advanced to the final of just two R48 events (Simple Green U.S. Open ’14, ’15) in his last 12 starts
Moreno has lost in the round of 16 in three of the last eight R48 events (NYAC ’15, New Orleans ’16, Salt Lake City ‘16)
Moreno R48 Highlights:
9 R48 titles, R48 I Player’s Champion, Season-ending R48 #1 in the R48 I in 2012 and the R48 III in 2014, Career high R48 #1 ranking (February 2012-March 2014)
Emmett Peixoto
- Simple Green U.S. Open ‘15: quarterfinal loss (McCarthy), finished 6th (Carroll)
- Tucson Memorial ‘15: semifinal loss (Lenning), finished 3rd
- New Orleans ‘16: round of 16 loss (Carroll), finished 9th
- Houston ’16: quarterfinal loss (Ortiz), finished 5th (Iglesias)
- NYAC ’16: quarterfinal loss (Moreno), finished 5th (Schneider)
- Salt Lake City ’16: quarterfinal loss (Brady), finished 6th (Fink)
- Portland ’16: round of 16 loss (Perez), finished 9th (Fink)
Average finish: 6.1
Current R48 ranking: 6
Peixoto R48 Highlights
2 R48 finals appearances (2014 Denver, 2015 San Francisco), career high #2 R48 ranking (March 2014)
Daniel Cordova
- U.S. Open ’15: round of 16 loss (Ortiz), finished t9th
- Tucson Memorial ’15: quarterfinal loss (Peixoto), finished 6th (Moreno)
- New Orleans ’16: quarterfinal loss (Brady), finished 7th (L. Cordova)
- Houston ’16: round of 16 loss (Iglesias), finished 13th
- NYAC ’16: quarterfinal loss (Brady), finished 7th (Peixoto)
- Salt Lake City ’16: quarterfinal loss (Ortiz), finished 7th (Peixoto)
- Portland ’16: quarterfinal loss (Lenning), finished 6th (Perez)
Average finish: 7.9
Current ranking: 7
- Cordova R48 Highlights
2015 R48 Rookie of the Year, second youngest R48 star to finish the season in the Elite 8 (L. Cordova), one semifinal appearance (2015 R48 Player’s Championship), reached career-high #7 R48 ranking in March of 2016
David Fink
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: did not start
- Tucson Memorial ’15: did not start
- New Orleans ’16: semifinal loss (Brady), finished 3rd
- Houston ’16: round of 16 loss (Selestow), finished 11th (L. Cordova)
- NYAC ’16: quarterfinal loss (Ortiz), finished 7th (Schneider)
- Salt Lake City ’16: quarterfinal loss (Lenning), finished 5th (Peixoto)
- Portland ’16: round of 16 loss (Chavez), finished 10th (Peixoto)
- Average finish (dns Simple Green U.S. Open ’15, Tucson Memorial ’15): 7.2
Current R48 ranking: 8
Fink R48 Highlights
7 semifinal appearances, reached career-high #2 R48 ranking in January of 2014
Women’s WR48 III Fab 5
Catriona Casey
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: finals loss (Reilly), finished 2nd
- NYAC ’16: win (McMahon), finished 1st
- Portland ’16: win (Reilly), finished 1st
Average finish: 1.3
Aisling Reilly
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: win (Casey), finished 1st
- NYAC ’16: did not start
- Portland ’16: finals loss (Casey), finished 2nd
Average finish: 1.5
Aisling Reilly Career Highlights
Only player to defeat Catriona Casey in a WR48 event
Only player to win a WR48 event besides Catriona Casey
Two-time defending Women’s Open Singles World Handball Champion (2012, 2015)
Danielle Daskalakis
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: did not start
- NYAC ’16: semifinal loss (McMahon), finished 4th
- Portland ’16: semifinal loss (Reilly), finished 4th (Ni Churraoin)
Average finish: 4
WR48 III Highlights: Highest ranked left-handed player on the R48, SR48 or WR48 tour (#2)
Sandy Ng
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: did not start
- NYAC ’16: semifinal loss (Casey), finished 3rd
- Portland ’16: quarterfinal loss (Ni Churraoin), finished 5th (Davis)
- Average finish: 4
WR48 Highlights: Advanced to her first semifinal in her WR48 career at the 2016 NYAC
Tracy Davis last 5 WR48 events:
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: did not start
- NYAC ’16: quarterfinals loss (Ng), finished 5th (Rushe)
- Portland ’16: quarterfinal loss (Reilly), finished 6th (Ng)
Average finish: 5.5
Martina McMahon
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: semifinal loss (Casey), finished 3rd (Gawley)
- NYAC ’16: finals loss (Casey), finished 2nd
- Portland ’16: did not play
Average finish: 2.5
Ciana Ni Churraoin
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’16: did not start
- NYAC ’15: did not start
- Portland ’16: semifinal loss (Casey), finished 3rd
Average finish: 3
SR48
Marcos Chavez
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: win (Alvarado), finished 1st
- Houston ’16: win (Hamel), finished 1st
- Portland ’16: finals loss (Buggy), finished 2nd
Average SR48 IV finish: 1.3
Career SR48 Highlights
- Two-time defending SR48 Player’s Champion and Player of the Year
- Currently ranked #1 on the SR48 tour
- 6-time SR48 champion (most on tour)
Andy Schad
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: semifinal loss (Chavez), finished 4th
- Houston ’16: semifinal loss (Hamel), finished 3rd (Zimet)
- Portland ’16: semifinal loss (Buggy), finished 3rd
Average SR48 IV finish: 3.3
Career SR48 Highlights
SR48 I Player’s Champion (def Bike in the final)
2-time SR48 Champion
Undefeated in SR48 finals (2-0)
Dan Armijo
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: round of 16 loss (Coughlan), finished tie 9th
- Houston ’16: round of 8 loss (Zimet), finished 5th (Swoboda)
- Portland ’16: quarterfinal loss (Schad), finished 5th (Suarez)
Average SR48 IV finish: 6.3
Career SR48 Highlights
Advanced to the final of the SR48 III NYAC (2015)
Only player to lose a SR48 match with his back turned to the serve (Denver, 2013)
Dan Zimet
- Simple Green U.S. Open ’15: quarterfinal loss (Watkins), finished tied 5th
- Houston ’16: semifinal loss (Chavez), finished 4th (Schad)
- Portland ’16: semifinal loss (Chavez), finished 3rd
Average SR48 IV finish: 4
Career SR48 Highlights
- Highest ranked Doctor on the R48, SR48 or R48 tour (#5)
- Advanced to his first SR48 semifinal in his third SR48 start (Houston ’16)
- Survived match point (Joe Harris) to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2015 Simple Green U.S. Open