Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 1/21/24
The 2023/24 Race 4 Eight season has reached its halfway point, as the R48 Men’s Pros have played four of the eight events on the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight season, the WR48 pros have played two of their four events and the SR48 pros have played two of their three events.
Let’s examine the Race 4 Eight Rankings Shake Ups from the start of the season at October’s Race 4 Eight Portland Classic until mid January’s Race 4 Eight Chapman Memorial, in addition to the top players by country.
R48 Men’s Pro Elite 8
- Luis Cordova started the season #1 and has remained #1 with three finals appearances at the Portland Classic, R48 Icebreaker and Chapman Memorial and one title at the R48 Icebreaker
- Daniel Cordova started this season ranked #6 and has climbed to #2 in four events by advancing to the semifinals in all four of his starts and winning one title at the Tucson Memorial
- Martin Mulkerrins started the season on Luis Cordova’s heels at #2 but has dropped to #3 in his three starts, winning one title at the Portland Classic, losing in the finals of his second start at the Tucson Memorial and taking fifth at the Chapman Memorial
- David Fink started the season at #5 at has climbed one spot to #4 with one finals appearance at the R48 Icebreaker, one semifinal at the Chapman Memorial, one fifth at the Tucson Memorial and one seventh at the Portland Classic
- Killian Carroll started the season at #4 and dropped to #6 after playing just one of the four events on the 2023/23 season, a win at the Chapman Memorial
- Sean Lenning started the season at #8 and has climbed to #6 after semifinal appearances at the Portland Classic and R48 Icebreaker and a seventh-place finish at the Tucson Memorial
- Leo Canales, Jr. has suffered the biggest drop amongst the Elite 8 on the season, starting the season at #3 and now sitting at #7 after skipping the Portland Classic, finishing thirteenth at the Tucson Memorial, ninth at the R48 Icebreaker and sixth at the Chapman Memorial
- Sam Esser became the only player to start the season outside of the Elite 8 at #10 climb into the Elite 8 at #8 with a sixth place finish at the Portland Classic, seventh at the Tucson Memorial, seventh at the R48 Icebreaker and seventh at the Chapman Memorial
WR48 Fab 4
- Catriona Casey started the season at #1 on the WR48 and has retained her #1 spot with wins both WR48 stops this season at the Tucson Memorial and the Chapman Memorial
- Eilise McCrory started the season at #3 and moved to #2 with her first WR48 finals appearance at the Tucson Memorial in her only start of this season
- Clodagh Munroe has skyrocketed up the WR48 standings this season, starting the season at #7 and climbing to #3 with a fifth place finish at the Tucson Memorial and a fourth at the Chapman Memorial
- Ashley Ruiz started the season ranked #4 and has maintained her position, finishing fourth at the Tucson Memorial and sixth at the Chapman Memorial
SR48 Fab 4
- David Fink started the season at #1 and maintained the top spot with wins at both SR48 stops this far this season at the Tucson Memorial and the Chapman Memorial
- Kyle English flipped spots with Bill Mehilos, starting the season at #3 and moving to #2 with his first SR48 finals appearance at the Tucson Memorial and a fifth at the Chapman Memorial
- Bill Mehilos started the season at #2 but has dropped to #3 with third place finishes at the Tucson Memorial and Chapman Memorial (Mehilos is tied in points with English but English owns the head-to-head tiebreaker)
- Dave Munson made his SR48 debut at the Chapman Memorial, advancing to the finals with tiebreaker wins against English and Mehilos and moving into the SR48 Fab 4
Top Ranked Players by Country
R48 Men’s Pro
- Mexico Luis Cordova (#1)
- Ireland Martin Mulkerrins (#3)
- U.S.A. David Fink (#4)
WR48
- Ireland Catriona Casey (#1)
- U.S.A. Ashley Ruiz (#4)
SR48
- U.S.A David Fink (#1)
Current Race 4 Eight rankings HERE
End of the 2022/23 Race 4 Eight rankings HERE
Handball Terminology + Instruction and R48 Rules HERE
Race 4 Eight Pro Player Bios HERE
DF’s R48 Fun Facts and Trends + Race 4 Eight History of Champions HERE
2023/24 Race 4 Eight schedule HERE
WPH Coaching Center Instructional Videos HERE
2023 JR WPH Portfolio HERE
Support the sport and become a WPH Patreon HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2023/24 Race 4 Eight XIII Powered by ESPN features Race 4 Eight stops in Oregon, Arizona, Missouri, Montana and Mexico, 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 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