Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 4/14/23-
The 2023 R48LTE USHA Hall of Fame marked the 78th event in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour and ninth R48LTE stop, with the tour spanning 17 states and two countries in the R48’s first 10+ seasons.
The 2023 R48LTE USHA Hall of Fame featured nine of the top ten R48 Men’s Pros, headlined by R48 #1 and four-time 2022/23 R48 champion Lucho Cordova. Lucho recently captured his eighth Race 4 Eight title on his home courts at the 2023 R48LTE Juarez on the first weekend of April, placing him fourth on the all-time R48 Men’s Pro wins list.
R48 #2 Martin Mulkerrins will be seeking his third R48 title of the 2022/23 season in the Old Pueblo, while aiming to close the gap on Cordova’s points lead before May’s Aces R48 Player’s Championship.
The 2023 R48LTE USHA Hall of Fame will also feature the USHA Women’s Classic, highlighted by WR48 pros Ashley Ruiz, Mikaila Esser, and Clodagh Monroe, in addition to 2021 women’s national champion Danielle Daskalakis.
R48LTE Round of 16
Lucho Cordova was aiming for his fifth R48LTE title in the ninth LTE event in the history of the tour and found himself trailing in both games against handball/diving/track star Ray Ure. Ure scored the tenth point first in both games but could not convert opportunities late in either game, stalling at ten in both games. “I just felt like I had too much energy and could not really relax,” stated Ure, who recently ran a 4:10 mile in college track. “I botched a bunch of setups late in the game but I felt good in there.”
After falling behind 0-5 in game one against John Wayne Cortez, Mulkerrins steamrolled the Southern Californian, winning thirty of the final thirty-three points of the match, despite being unhappy with his serve to the left.
David Fink raced to a 9-1 lead in his first encounter with the Pride of St. Louis, Jeff Streibig, but Streibig charged back, cutting the deficit to two before several untimely errors shifted the momentum back to Fink. Streibig led early in game two, but Fink’s left-handed kills led to another spurt, as Fink dropped Streibig in two games.
Leo Canales, Jr. continued his consistent season, dropping longtime Southwest rival Abraham Montijo for the second time this season, building leads in both games and advancing to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Danos Cordova continued the good form he displayed in Juarez, fighting off Dylan Hernandez in the second game to advance to the quarterfinals. Plagued by a foot injury early in the season, Danos has started to rediscover the form that has carried him to three Race 4 Eight titles.
Shorty Ruiz faced Mark Doyle for the second time this season, having won their first encounter on the same court at November’s Memorial 15-11 in the third. Ruiz took control in game one, keeping Doyle off-balance with hops and re kills. Doyle built a 9-5 lead against Ruiz and Ruiz’s glass-banging army, but Ruiz roared back, eventually serving for the match at 14-12. Ruiz could not convert three match points, opening the door for Doyle to force a third on his only game point in the second. The tiebreaker features three avoidable hinders and four lead changes, as the glass-bangers lost their voices and bruised their hands urging on their hero. Doyle handled the adversity like a veteran, scoring the final five points of the match after trailing 10-11, including a left-crack ace to seal the win.
Sean Lenning continued the impressive form that saw him eliminate two top five pros en route to the Juarez final last month, efficiently trouncing Race 4 Eight #8 Max Langmack in two games. In one of the tallest matchups in the history of pro handball, Lenning was precise and ruthless, never allowing Langmack into the match.
Sam Esser and Ivan Burgos match up most weeks in Tucson sparring matches, but their round of 16 encounter would be their biggest matchup on the TRC’s #1 court. Burgos started quickly against the notoriously slow starter, fist-killing and fist-passing his way to a one-game lead. Esser slowed the game down in the second, going to an underhand lob serve and using the ceiling to flip the momentum and even the match at one game apiece.
The tiebreaker produced sensational handball, with both players making outrageous shots to trade the lead. Burgos appeared to have the edge, serving at 13-11. Burgos went for a shoulder-high kill with his right from the short line, skipping the shot by millimeters and giving Esser the side out. Esser capitalized, scoring three straight points to serve for the match at 14-13. Burgos earned a side out with a left-handed kill and would serve for the match two rallies later at 15-14. Burgos had a back wall setup to end the match, but strayed from his aggressive style, opting for a scoop two-wall right-handed shot to the left. Esser made Burgos pay for his indecision, killing the ball off the side wall with his left for the side out. Not known for ever diving, Esser tied the game with a diving re kill and closed out the match two points later with a kill down the right. “I just felt like I couldn’t find another gear in there, like I wasn’t even in the court,” Esser would later say.
Round of 16
Lucho def Ure 15-10, 15-10
Mulkerrins def Cortez 15-7, 15-1
Fink def Streibig 15-8, 15-7
Canales def Montijo 15-9, 15-10
Danos def Hernandez 15-7, 15-13
Doyle def Ruiz 8-15, 16-14, 15-12
Lenning def Langmack 15-6, 15-4
Esser def Burgos 9-15, 15-7, 17-15
Quarterfinals (Saturday, all times MST)
Lucho vs. Esser 10 am
Danos vs. Canales 10 am
Fink vs. Doyle 11:15 am
Mulkerrins vs. Lenning 11:15 am
Thank you to Ashley and Shorty Ruiz for running the tournament desk and Matt Krueger, Sam Esser and the WPH for a great first day at the Hall of Fame.
This event is not being filmed LIVE. In some cases, matches may be filmed and uploaded at a later time.
Follow all of the brackets from the 2023 R48LTE USHA Hall of Fame HERE
2023 R48LTE USHA Hall of Fame press release HERE
Race 4 Eight Fun Facts HERE
Current Race 4 Eight Rankings HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2022/23 Race 4 Eight XI Powered by ESPN features Race 4 Eight stops in Oregon, Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Texas, Mexico, and Pennsylvania, all culminating with The Player’s Championship in Utah in May of 2023. 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, 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
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David Fink
WPH Senior Writer