Day 3 at the 2026 R48/WR48/SR48 LAAC
Sunday
Los Angeles, CA WPH Press, 3/22/22
R48 Final: Mulkerrins def Canales 15-13, 15-10
Seeking his first Race 4 Eight title in his fourth Race final, Leo Canales tackled fifteen-time Race 4 Eight champion Martin Mulkerrins to start the 2026 LAAC final. Mulkerrins called of his timeouts by the time Canales reached 8-0 in the first game and still could not stop the barrage of kills from Canales, as the four-time finalist extended his lead to 12-0 before Mulkerrins scored his first point. Mulkerrins cut into the lead, scoring points in bunches while defending Canales’s serves. Mulkerrins tied the game at 13 and benefitted from three Canales right-handed back wall errors, stunning Canales to win the first, 15-13.
Canales quickly regained control of the match in the second, racing to an 10-1 lead. A tiebreaker seemed inevitable, but Mulkerrins mounted his second comeback of the match. Mulkerrins would eventually catch Canales at ten and continued his unanswered scoring streak to win his sixteenth Race title, scoring the final fourteen points of the match to stand alone at second on the all-time Race leaderboard.
“That was a war, delighted obviously to come out of the right end of it,” an exhausted Mulkerrins would tell ESPN’s Kara Mack. “Stayed composed after being down 0-12 (in the first) and 1-10 (in the second). I ground it out. Leo made some serves and shots and there is nothing you can do. I felt a bit passive, so I tried to look for my chances and tried to be more aggressive. I was just trying to get some points on the board and get some momentum. It got closer and closer and I was eventually able to take the lead and win it. I always have great confidence in myself. I had a lot of heartbreak. I’ve been here a lot of times before. Experience gives me the belief. We were both exhausted and anything could happen really. I want to thank the WPH. I would not be in America if it were not for the pro tour. I want to thank Owen Gloves and thank everyone at the LAAC. It’s also a huge honor for me to become a member of the New York Athletic Club.”
R48 Playoffs
5th place final: Ure def Hernandez 25-17
Dylan Hernandez secured his best career Race finish by defeating Mark Doyle and advancing to his first quarterfinal. Hernandez stunned Ure in the first half of the 5th Place Final, grabbing a 15-10 lead. Hernandez started the second half well, scoring the first point, but managed just one more point for the remainder of the match, as Ure rained down aces and kills, ending the match on a 15-1 run.
“Going down at halftime I had to get my feet in position and in the second half I really wanted it,” Ure would later say. “Drop downs are just as important. You cannot go in complacent. Just trying to maintain that focus throughout the match. It’s neck and neck for the spots. The extra points mean a difference. I want to work on my footwork before Salt Lake City and getting my legs feeling strong. Going in the court on my own to work on my footwork to make sure my weight is moving forward.”
9th place final: D. Walsh def Danos (fft)
17th place: Diarmuid Mulkerrins
R48 LAAC Finishes
1st: M. Mulkerrins
2nd: Canales
3rd: Lucho/Burgos
5th: Ure
6th: Hernandez
7th: Lenning/Streibig
9th: Walsh
10th: Danos
11th: Langmack/Doyle
13th: Chapman/Perez/T. Schmitt/D. Schmitt
17th: D. Mulkerrins
WR48 Final: Heffernan def Holden 15-2, 15-11
WR48 #1 Niamh Heffernan and WR48 #2 Aoife Holden met for the second time in a WR final this season, with Heffernan seeking her fourth consecutive WR title and Holden seeking her first WR title in her second final.
Heffernan dominated the first game, needing just nine minutes to secure a one-game advantage. “Aoife started up on me 10-2 in the first in Tucson, so I knew I had to get off to a good start,” Heffernan would later say.
Holden slowed the game down in the second with an underhand lob serve, zapping Heffernan’s quest to play low and hard drives. Holden led 10-9 midway through the second game, but Heffernan’s speed and offense proved to be the difference, as Heffernan clinched her fourth straight WR title.
“Feels great,” Heffernan told ESPN’s Kara Mack. “I knew today I had to come in on my “A” game. Nobody realizes the heat in that alley. I think yesterday I just collapsed during the timeouts. I tried to hydrate as much as possible. My very first pro stop I just loved it and my goal was to come to every pro stop in a season. I’ll keep practicing when I come home. Today I’m going to go to the beach to get some sun!”
WR48 Playoffs
3rd place playoff: Dagg def Entzeroth 25-8
Mollie Dagg was too strong for Suz Entzeroth in the WR 3rd place playoff, dominating the one-game match with her power and speed.
5th place playoff: Munroe def Daskalakis 25-8
Munroe was too strong for Daskalakis in the 5th place WR final, playing consistently and clinching her third top five WR finish on the season.
WR48 LAAC Finishes
1st: Heffernan
2nd: Holden
3rd: Dagg
4th: Entzeroth
5th: Munroe
SR48 Final: Lenning def Martinez 5-15, 15-12, 15-3
Sean Lenning was appearing in his fourth SR final in four SR starts and seeking his third SR title and defense of his 2025 LAAC SR title, while tournament director Rafa Martinez was seeking his first SR title in his first SR final.
Martinez dominated the first game with two aces, fourteen winners, and just two errors and was in position to win the match at 12-9 in the second. Martinez struck a nearly perfect serve to the left, but Lenning paddled the return into the right corner for an improbable kill. Three quick points for Lenning and another return of serve kill from Lenning changed the momentum, as Lenning gained confidence and energy to finish the second game and dominate the third.
“Maybe Rafa just fell off a little (after the good start), maybe I found his left,” Lenning would tell ESPN’s Kara Mack. “Rafa is a really good player but he has a bad left. That’s his only weakness. I definitely had a lucky return of serve that made me think I’d be mad if I don’t win.”
SR48 Playoffs
3rd Place Final: Garcia def Canales 25-14
George Garcia and Leo Canales, Sr. renewed their rivalry in the 3rd place SR final, edging the Mexican hall of famer, 25-14.
5th place final: A. Garcia def C. Watkins 25-20
In an all-California final, Alex Garcia defeated Chris Watkins in a close 5th place SR final, clinching his best finish of the season.
SR48 LAAC Finishes
1st: Lenning
2nd: Martinez
3rd: Garcia
4th: Canales, Sr.
5th: A. Garcia
Thank you
Thank you to the incredible LAAC tournament directors Vic Perez, Rafael Martinez, and Ryan Watkins for an incredible event. Vic, Rafa, and Watkins and the entire group of LAAC volunteers ensured that every player and fan enjoyed an incredible experience at the LAAC. Thank you to tournament sponsors Boak Ferris and Chris Watkins and all of the tournament sponsors and donors. Thank you to the WPH broadcast crew for another outstanding weekend of coverage. The WPH broadcast crew works tirelessly to bring the handball world coverage that rivals any network sport coverage.
2025/26 Race 4 Eight Recaps
Stop #1 Portland Sunday recap HERE
Stop #2 Tucson Memorial recap HERE
Stop #3 St. Louis recap HERE
Follow all of the brackets from the 2026 Race 4 Eight LAAC HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer