Friday
Los Angeles, CA WPH Press, 3/20/22
The 2026 R48/WR48/SR48 LAAC marked the 101st event in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour, with the tour spanning seventeen states and two countries since the Race 4 Eight’s inaugural season in 2011/12.
The Race 4 Eight returned to the LAAC for the third time in the fourth of five stops of the 2025/26 Race 4 Eight season, as the tour’s best headed to Tinseltown for valuable ranking points and a chance to win the prestigious Race 4 Eight LAAC title.
R48 #1 Martin Mulkerrins entered the LAAC as the favorite, grabbing one win in his three starts on the 2025/26 season but coming off a disappointing sixth place finish at the tour’s most recent event in St. Louis.
R48 #2 Lucho Cordova entered the 2026 LAAC with momentum, having won last year’s LAAC and winning the 2026 St. Louis Race in dramatic fashion.
Mulkerrins and Lucho were joined by each member of the R48 Elite 8 and a number of the world’s top players, including Irish #1 David Walsh.
Niamh Heffernan entered the 2026 LAAC is the dominant WR48 #1, having won her last three WR48 starts and riding a nine-match WR48 winning streak. Heffernan faced a deep LAAC WR field that included WR #2 Aoife Holden, WR #3 Clodagh Munroe, WR #4 Mollie Dagg, in addition to Ashley Ruiz, Suz Entzeroth, and Danielle Daskalakis.
Sean Lenning aimed to defend his 2025 LAAC SR48 title against a strong field that included Rafael Martinez, Leo Canales, Sr., Chris Watkins, George Garcia, and Alex Garcia.
R48 Round of 16 at the 2026 LAAC
R48 #1 Martin Mulkerrins entered the 2026 LAAC on a mission after his disappointed showing in St. Louis, quickly eliminating tournament host Vic Perez in two games, while R48 #2 Lucho Cordova defeated John Chapman for the third time in four stops in the round of 16 this season.
Coming off his recent win in the Leo Canales, Sr. Open in Juarez, Leo Canales surged past Dylan Schmitt.
Rau Ure was ruthless against Taylor Schmitt, allowing the elder Schmitt just two points.
Ivan Burgos started slowly against Max Langmack in their round of 16 matchup, losing the first eight rallies to fall behind 0-7. Burgos heated up from there, showcasing his sensational lateral quickness and power to score 30 of the final 31 points of the match.
After rallying to win a tiebreaker against Jab Bike in the round of 32, Dylan Hernandez entered his round of 16 match with Mark Doyle undefeated against the current collegiate national champion and R48 #6 (2-0). Hernandez rallied from a 6-11 deficit to win the first game, and after quickly dropping game two, built a commanding 13-6 lead in the third. Several nervous errors and crisp Doyle shot-making cut the lead to two, but Hernandez would not be denied, earning a side out and scoring consecutive points to earn his career-best Race win in his second tiebreaker win of the day.
In one of the most anticipated matches of the season, seven-time Race champion Sean Lenning faced 2025 GAA #1 David Walsh. Walsh pounced early, building a 9-0 lead. Lenning upped his intensity, diving and reaching nearly every Walsh drive to eventually tie the game at 11. Lenning closed out the game with his trademark aces and kills and built a 9-6 lead in the second. Pacing himself with a one-game lead and a three-point cushion in the second, Lenning picked his spots, eventually stretching the lead to advance to his fourth quarterfinal of the season.
Jeff Streibig’s 2026 LAAC campaign started inauspiciously, as he lost his first game of the event badly to Erik Torres. Streibig rallied to defeat Torres in three games and stunned Danos Cordova in two games to advance to his second quarterfinal of the season.
Martin def Perez 15-2, 15-5
Lucho def Chapman 15-5, 15-7
Canales def D. Schmitt 15-7, 15-8
Ure def T. Schmitt 15-1, 15-1
Burgos def Langmack 15-7, 15-1
Hernandez def Doyle 15-13, 5-15, 15-11
Lenning def Walsh 15-12, 15-10
Streibig def Danos 15-9, 15-5
R48 Round of 8 at the 2026 LAAC, Saturday, all times PST
Martin vs. Streibig (9 am)
Lucho vs. Lenning (9:45 am)
Ure vs. Burgos (10:30 am)
Canales vs. Hernandez (11:15 am)
WR48 Round of 8 at the 2026 LAAC
WR48 #1 Niamh Heffernan extended her WR winning streak to ten matches with a two-game sweep against Danielle Daskalakis, while second-seeded Aoife Holden cruised past Taylor Bell.
Mollie Dagg defeated Ashley Ruiz for the second time this season to advance to her second WR semifinal of the season.
Heffernan def Daskalakis 15-3, 15-7
Holden def Bell 15-1, 15-1
Munroe vs. Entzeroth (8 am, Saturday)
Dagg def Ruiz 15-11, 15-1
WR48 Semifinals at the 2026 LAAC, Saturday, all times PST
Heffernan vs. Dagg (Noon)
Holden vs. Munroe/Entzeroth (12:45 pm)
Follow all of the brackets from the 2026 Race 4 Eight LAAC HERE
2025 JR WPH Portfolio HERE
Race Star on the Rise: Mark Doyle HERE
Updated Race 4 Eight Fun Facts and Trends post St. Louis HERE
Race 4 Eight Champions and Finalists 2011-present HERE
Updated Race 4 Eight Rankings Post 2026 St. Louis HERE
Race 4 Eight pro player bios HERE
WPH Coaching Centers HERE
WPH Workout Central HERE
2025/26 Race 4 Eight schedule HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2025/26 Race 4 Eight XIV Powered by ESPN features five Race 4 Eight stops from California to St. Louis, all culminating with The Player’s Championship. 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 title sponsor opportunity, 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
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
LAAC WPH R48Pro Stop #4 – Mar 20-22, 2026
Los Angeles, CA
ESPN+ Broadcast Schedule
Saturday, March 21, 2026 – Broadcast Window: 9am to 6pm (Pacific Time)
Men’s Pro Quarters (TBD):
09:00 Martin Mulkerrins vs Jeff Streibig
09:45 Lucho Cordova vs Sean Lenning
10:30 Ivan Burgos vs Ray Ure
11:15 Leo Canales vs Dylan Hernandez
Women’s Pro Semis (TBD):
12:00 Niamh Heffernan vs Mollie Dagg
12:45 Aoife Holden vs Clodagh Munroe or Suz Enzeroth
Senior 40+ Pro Semis (TBD):
13:30 Canales Sr or Garcia vs Lopez or Martinez
14:15 Lenning or Ortega vs Garcia Jr or Watkins
Men’s Pro Semis (TBD):
15:15 Mulkerrins or Streibig vs Ure or Burgos
16:15 Lenning or Cordova vs Hernandez or Canales Jr
Sunday, March 22, 2026 – Broadcast Window: 9am to 1:30pm (Pacific Time)
Senior 40+ Pro Finals:
09:00 Canales Sr, Garcia, Lopez or Martinez vs Lenning, Ortega, Garcia Jr or Watkins
Men’s Pro 5th or 9th Final (TBD):
09:45 TBD
Women’s Pro Final (TBD):
10:30 Heffernan or Mollie Dagg vs Holden, Munroe or Enzeroth
Men’s Pro Final (TBD):
11:15 Mulkerrins, Streibig, Ure or Burgos vs Lenning, Cordova, Hernandez or Canales Jr