Updated Fun Facts

DF’s R48 Trends and Facts, Race 4 Eight History of Champions, Handball Origins and Much More: 2011-Post 2024 Race 4 Eight Red Death

Through 85 events on the Race 4 Eight tour from 2011-2024, the Race 4 Eight has produced sensational tournaments, memorable matches, dominant champions and inspiring stories, all broadcast live on WPH Patreon, wphlive.tv or on ESPN.

Enjoy hundreds of Fun Facts & Trends from 2011-2024 below.

2023/24 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post 2024 Red Death

• Danos Cordova became the first two-time champion on the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight season with his win at the 2024 Red Death (Danos also won the season’s second event at the November 2023 Tucson Memorial)
• Leo Canales advanced to his second Race 4 Eight final at the 2024 Red Death (0-2 in finals) – this was Leo’s second finals appearance in five starts
• Canales has improved with each start this season, finishing 13^th, 9^th, 6^th and 2^nd in his four 2023/24 starts
• Killian Carroll and David Fink are the only players on the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight tour to defeat the R48 #1 and R48 #2 pros (Lucho, Danos)
• After defending his title at the 2023 R48 Portland Classic, Martin Mulkerrins finished second, fifth and third in his next three starts
• Danos Cordova became just the second player to win the R48 Red Death (Killian Carroll won the Red Death in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2023)
• Vic Perez advanced to his second semifinal of the season at the 2024 Red Death, winning tiebreakers in the round of 16 (Burgos) and quarterfinals (Lucho) before losing in a tiebreaker in the semifinals (Canales)
• After dropping off the Race 4 Eight rankings, Niall O’Connor reentered the rankings by winning seventeenth at the 2024 Red Death, defeating Missoula’s John Chapman in the seventeenth final
• Danos Cordova is undefeated against Martin Mulkerrins during the 2023/24 season, defeating the current world champion in the 2023 Tucson Memorial final and in the 2024 Red Death semifinal (both wins in tiebreakers)
• Vic Perez has won five tiebreakers and lost two during the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight season
• Mark Doyle advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in five starts during the 2023/24 season, eventually finishing sixth with wins against Shorty Ruiz and scoring his first career win against Sam Esser
• Danos Cordova is the only player to advance to the semifinals or better in all five 2023/24 Race 4 Eight events
• Lucho Cordova, Danos Cordova, David Fink and Sam Esser are the only players to make the quarterfinals or better in all five stops during the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight season
• Killian Carroll is the only undefeated player on the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight season (one start, 5-0 record)
• Per Dave Vincent: The 2024 R48 Red Death final between Danos and Canales was the first R48 final since 2019 that did not include Lucho Cordova, Killian Carroll or Martin Mulkerrins
• Per Nick Flores: David Fink is the only undefeated Race 4 Eight pro on Sundays in 4-Wall since 2019, having never lost a fifth or ninth place final (minimum two matches played)
• Danos (17) leads the tour in match wins this season, Lucho Cordova (15) and David Fink (15) are tied for second in match wins this season
• After finishing seventh at the 2023 Portland Classic, thirteenth at the 2023 Memorial and sixth at the 2023 R48 Icebreaker, Shorty Ruiz finished twenty-fourth at the 2024 Chapman and thirteenth at the 2024 Red Death
• The defending champions have defended two titles this season on the Race 4 Eight tour: Martin Mulkerrins at the Portland Classic, Lucho Cordova at the R48 Icebreaker. Lucho did not defend his Tucson Memorial title (lost in the semifinals to Danos), The Chapman did not take place last year, Killian Carroll did not defend his Red Death title (did not start)
• Since making the final of the April 2023 R48 RFC, Max Langmack has not finished better than thirteenth in five subsequent Race starts
• By winning his fifth Race 4 Eight title at the 2024 Red Death, Danos Cordova now sits at seventh on the all-time Race 4 Eight wins list: Carroll (23), Brady (15), Lucho (10), Moreno (10), Lenning (7), Mulkerrins (6)
• Lucho Cordova lost before the semifinals at the 2024 Red Death for the first time since losing in the quarterfinals of the 2019 R48 Tucson Memorial to Martin Mulkerrins (25 consecutive events)

 

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)

 

2023/24 Race 4 Eight Elite Stats (Through the 2024 Chapman Memorial)

 

R48 Men’s Pro: Starts/Wins/Losses/Event Finishes/Losses

 

Lucho Cordova (5): 15-5, 2^nd, 3^rd, 1^st, ,2^nd, 7^th (Mulkerrins, Danos, Carroll, Perez, Fink)

Martin Mulkerrins (4): 14-3, 1^st, 2^nd ,5^th, 3^rd (Danos, Carroll, Danos)

Danos Cordova (5): 17-3, 3^rd, 1^st, 3^rd , 1^st (Lucho, Fink, Carroll)

David Fink (5): 15-6, 7^th, 5^th, 2^nd, 3^rd , 5^th (Lenning, Burgos, Danos, Lucho, Lucho, Canales)

Leo Canales (4): 9-6, 13^th, 9^th,7^th , 2^nd (Perez, Doyle, Bike, Fink, Mulkerrins, Danos)

Sean Lenning (3): 7-4, 3^rd, 7^th, 3^rd (Mulkerrins, Perez, Burgos, Lucho)

Killian Carroll (1): 5-0

Sam Esser (5): 9-10, 6^th, 7^th, 7^th, 7^th , 7^th (Lucho, Burgos, Lucho, Fink, Fink, Ruiz, Danos, Mulkerrins, Mulkerrins, Doyle)

Shorty Ruiz (5): 6-8, 7^th, 13^th, 6^th, 24^th, 13^th (Danos, Esser, Burgos, Montijo, Danos, Bike, D. Munson, Doyle, D. Mulkerrins)

Ivan Burgos (5): 12-6, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 24^th , 9^th (Mulkerrins, Mulkerrins, Fink, Lucho, Bike, Relihan, Perez)

Vic Perez (3): 13-5, 9^th, 3^rd, 10^th , 3^rd (Mulkerrins, Mulkerrins, Carroll, Walsh, Canales)

 

WR48: Starts/Wins/Losses/Event Finishes/Defeats

Casey (2): 7-0, 1^st, 1^st     

McCrory (1): 2-1, 2^nd (Casey)

Esser (2): 5-2 (Casey, Munroe)

Ruiz (2): 2-4 (McCrory, Esser, Heffernan, Esser)

Munroe (2): 4-3 (Esser, Casey, Heffernan)

Ni Churraoin (1): 3-1 (Casey)

Heffernan (1): 2-1 (Ni Churraoin)

 

SR48: Starts/Wins/Losses/Event Finishes/Defeats

Fink (2): 6-0, 1^st, 1^st

English (2): 4-5, 2^nd,5^th (Fink, Munson)

Mehilos (2): 4-2, 3^rd,3^rd, (English, Munson)

Munson (1): 3-1, 2^nd (Fink)

Pettus (1): 2-2, 4^th (Fink, Mehilos)

Race 4 Eight Titles Leaderboard

In 85 Men’s R48Pro events from 2011-present, 12 different players have won a Race title

• Carroll: 23
• Brady: 15
• Cordova: 10
• Moreno: 10
• Lenning: 7
• Cordova: 5
• McCarthy: 3
• Mulkerrins: 6
• Ortiz: 2
• Shanks: 2
• Garner: 1
• Fink: 1

 

In 31 WR48 Pro events from 2013-present, 5 different players have won a Women’s Race 4 Eight title

• Casey: 27
• Daskalakis: 1
• McMahon: 1
• Reilly: 1
• Tuohey: 1

 

In 31 SR48 Pro events from 2012-present, 6 different players have won a Senior Race 4 Eight title

• Fink: 13
• Chavez: 10
• Alvarado: 4
• Schad: 2
• Buggy: 1
• Meiring: 1

 

The only players to face a match point and win a main draw Men’s Pro R48 match are:

1. Alvarado vs. Shanks Plummer 2011 (Alvarado 12-21, 21-17, 11-10
2. Alvarado vs. Al. Garner Plummer 2011 (Alvarado 16-21, 21-20, 11-7)
3. Fink vs. Iglesias Tucson 2013 (Fink 27-25)
4. Fink vs. Cooney Simple Green U.S. Open (2013) 17-21, 21-19, 11-10
5. Shanks vs. Peixoto 2013 Denver 2013 (Shanks 28-26)
6. Perez vs. Ortiz Tucson 2014 (Perez 10-15, 16-14, 15-8)
7. Crehan vs. Fink NYAC 2015 (Crehan, 1-15, 17-15, 15-13)
8. Ortiz vs. L. Cordova Salt Lake City 2016 (Ortiz 11-14, 16-14, 15-2)
9. Ortiz vs. Peixoto Atlanta 2017 (Ortiz 7-15, 17-15, 15-1)
10. McCarthy vs. Lenning Tucson 2017 (McCarthy 3-15, 16-14, 15-2)
11. Lenning vs. Nash Montana 2018 (Lenning 8-15, 15-13, 19-17)
12. Chavez vs. Ruiz Las Vegas 2018 (Chavez 17-15, 11-14, 17-15)
13. Munson vs. Chavez 2018 Houston (Munson 3-15, 17-15, 15-13)
14. Ortiz vs. Pet. Funchion NYAC 2018 (Ortiz 6-15, 16-14, 15-9)
15. Perez vs. Chavez NYAC 2018 (Perez 15-10, 11-15, 17-15)
16. Perez vs. Chavez 2019 New Orleans R48LTE (13-15, 17-15, 15-11)
17. Canales vs. Ortiz 2019 Tucson R48LTE Hall of Fame (16-14, 12-15, 16-14)
18. Ruiz vs. Peixoto 2019 San Francisco (7-15, 15-6, 16-14)
19. Iglesias vs. Peixoto 2019 Salt Lake City (5-15, 16-14, 15-2)
20. Perez vs. Fink 2020 Red Death (15-12, 3-15, 16-14)
21. Cordova vs. Canales, Jr. 2022 R48 Icebreaker (21-5, 11-21, 11-10)
22. Doyle vs. D. Fink 2023 R48 Mardi Gras (12-15, 16-14, 17-15)
23. Mulkerrins vs. Langmack 2023 R48 Houston (5-15, 16-14, 15-5)
24. Esser vs. Burgos 2023 R48LTE Hall of Fame (8-15, 15-7, 17-15)
25. Doyle def Ruiz 2023 R48LTE Hall of Fame (8-15, 17-15, 15-11)
26. Lenning def Mulkerrins 2023 R48LTE Hall of Fame (8-15, 16-14, 15-8)
27. Cordova def Hernandez 2023 R48 Portland Classic (7-15, 16-14, 15-9)
28. Cordova def L. Cordova 2023 R48 Memorial (15-12, 3-15, 16-14)
29. Carroll def M. Mulkerrins 2024 Chapman Memorial (15-10, 3-15, 16-14)

 

Active and Evolving Race 4 Eight Stats

Digging into the History of the Race 4 Eight Tour

• In85 Men’s Race 4 Eight Pro events, there have been 12 different champions and 19 different finalists. Of the 19 different finalists, 11 have been from the U.S., six from Ireland, and two from Mexico
• 11 U.S. finalists: Moreno, Ortiz, Nett, Lenning, Alvarado, Al. Garner, Fink, Peixoto, Perez, Langmack, Canales
• 5 Irish finalists: McCarthy, Brady, Nash, Shanks, Carroll, Mulkerrins
• 2 Mexican finalists: L. Cordova, D. Cordova
• In 85 R48 Men’s Pro finals since 2011, 28 finals have gone to a tiebreaker (33%)
• Combining R48, WR48, and SR48, the WPH has hosted 147 Race 4 Eight events (combining R48, WR48, and SR48), not including R48 Pre Qualifiers (this is in addition to 24 Icebreakers from 2020-2023, 56 WPH Outdoor events, and 47 open tournaments)

Most Match Wins in R48 Men’s Pro History (2011-current: main draw and playoff match wins)

• Fink: 163-94
• Lucho: 148-68
• Lenning: 143-68
• Carroll 142-19
• Danos: 129-70
• Moreno: 98-36
• Peixoto: 88-70
• Perez: 85-73
• Brady: 73-7
• Ortiz: 66-42

 

Then and Now

2011 Plummer Bash R48 Elite 8 (October 2011, First Race 4 Eight Event)

Sean Lenning

Naty Alvarado, Jr.

Luis Moreno

Allan Garner

David Fink

Armando Ortiz

Tommy Little

Andy Nett

2023/24 Current Elite 8 Rankings

Lucho Cordova

Danos Cordova

Martin Mulkerrins

David Fink

Leo Canales, Jr.

Sean Lenning

Killian Carroll

Sam Esser

The Race 4 Eight Men’s Pro has featured 85 events in ten+ seasons from the first Race 4 Eight event in Coeur d’Alene, ID at the Plummer Family Bash in October of 2011 through the 2024 Red Death

Number of different finalists in those 85 R48 events.

• 2011-2012 R48 I: six new finalists: Moreno, Alvarado, Lenning, Al. Garner, McCarthy, Shanks
• 2012-2013 R48 II: one new finalist: Brady
• 2013-2014 R48 III: three new finalists: Ortiz, Peixoto, Nash
• 2014-2015 R48 IV: one new finalist: Nett
• 2015-2016 R48 V: one new finalist: Carroll
• 2016-2017 R48 VI: two new finalists: Fink, L. Cordova
• 2017-2018 R48 VII: one new finalist: D. Cordova
• 2018-2019 R48 VIII: one new finalist: Perez
• 2019-2020 R48 IX: one new finalist: Mulkerrins
• 2021-2022 R48 X: no new finalists
• 2022-23 R48 XI: two new finalists: Langmack, Canales
• 2023-24 R48 XII: no new finalists

R48 Men’s Pro Tiebreaker Records (2011-current, minimum 14 tiebreakers)

Lucho: 25-12

Carroll: 24-7

Lenning: 20-18

Danos: 16-14

Moreno: 13-6

Ortiz: 13-10

Fink: 13-23

Chavez: 12-9

Perez 10-6

Peixoto: 3-11

 

Most R48 events started: Fink (79), Lucho (72), Lenning (67), Emmett Peixoto (54)

Most R48 Men’s Pro 5^th place playoff titles:

• Fink: 16
• Peixoto: 8
• Perez: 8

The 85 events held on the Race 4 Eight tour since 2011 have been held in 17 different states and two countries

AZ (16)

CA (10)

UT (10)

TX (8)

NY (6)

OR (5)

GA (4)

LA (5)

MT (5)

WA (2)

CO (2)

ID (3)

MN (1)

AK (1)

NV (1)

PA (2)

TN (1)

MEX (1)

MO (1)

 

43 of the last 62 Race 4 Eight events have appeared on ESPN3, starting with the 2014 Simple Green U.S. Open

 

Top winning percentages on the Men’s Pro Race 4 Eight Tour:

• Killian Carroll has won 23 of 41 R48 events he has entered: 56%
• Paul Brady has won 15 of 22 R48 events he has entered: 68%
• Robbie McCarthy has won 3 of 10 R48 events he has entered: 30%
• Luis Moreno has won 10 of 42 R48 events he has entered: 24%
• Lucho Cordova has won 10 of 72 R48 events he has entered: 14%
• Martin Mulkerrins has won 6 of 23 R48 events he has entered: 26%
• Sean Lenning has won 7 of 67 R48 events he has entered: 11%
• Charly Shanks has won 2 of 16 R48 events he has entered: 11%

 

In 85 official Men’s Pro R48 events, 2,537 players have entered, including the invited pros, qualifiers, and U.S. Open (open draw)

Allan “The Blonde Bombshell” Garner and David Fink are the only R48 Champions to have only one R48 title. The other R48 champions have won between 2-15 titles

 

R48 Men’s R48 Pro Finals Records:

• Carroll: 23-7
• Brady: 15-1
• Moreno: 10-6
• Cordova: 10-9
• Lenning: 7-16
• Mulkerrins: 6-4
• Cordova 5-5
• McCarthy: 3-3
• Ortiz: 2-7
• Shanks: 2-4
• Fink: 1-6
• Garner: 1-2
• Alvarado: 0-5
• Peixoto: 0-2
• Nett 0-1
• Nash: 0-2
• Perez: 0-1
• Langmack: 0-1
• Canales: 0-2

 

Killian Carroll has played in the most R48 finals (30)

 

The WR48 has held 31 events since the inception of the tour in 2013

WR48 Finals Records:

Casey: 27-2

Daskalakis: 1-0

Reilly 1-6

Gawley: 0-1

Ni Churraoin: 0-6

McMahon: 1-5

Peixoto de Melo: 0-1

Davis: 0-1

Koehler 0-1

Tuohey: 1-1

Tully: 0-4

Munroe: 0-1

McCrory: 0-1

In 29 Women’s R48 starts, Catriona Casey owns a 88-2 match record (98%)

In the 27 WR48 events Catriona Casey has won, Casey won 169 out of 172 games played (98%)

 

Naty Alvarado (5), Emmett Peixoto (2), Diarmaid Nash (2), Andy Nett (1), Vic Perez (1), Max Langmack (1), and Leo Canales (1) are the only players to have advanced to a R48 final and not won a title

Of the 168 R48 finalists in 84 R48 events, nine have been qualifiers, three qualifiers have won a title (Brady, Mulkerrins x 2)

R48 Men’s Pro Qualifier Statistics:

• 103 players attempted to qualify during the R48 I season (21 qualified)
• 86 players attempted to qualify during the R48 IIseason (30 qualified)
• 91 players attempted to qualify during the R48 IIIseason (25 qualified)
• 152 players attempted to qualify during the R48 IVseason (26 qualified)
• 168 players attempted to qualify during the R48 Vseason (40 qualified, thus far) (per Luis Cordova, Sr.)
• 125 players attempted to qualify during the R48 6 season (40 qualified)
• 190 players attempted to qualify during the R48 7 season (33 qualified)
• 200 players attempted to qualify during the R48 8 season (48 qualified)
• 123 players attempted to qualify during the R48 9 season (25 qualified)
• 33 players entered the only qualifier during the R48 X season (8 qualified): The first six events on the R48 X were open events (173 combined players entered the first six R48 X open events)
• 250 players have entered the first nine events of the 2022/23 R48 season (9 open events, 1 qualifier)
• 163 players have entered the first five events of the 2023/24 R48 season

 

 

2023/24 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post 2024 Chapman Memorial

• Killian Carroll won his twenty-third Race 4 Eight title in his thirtieth Race 4 Eight final, defeating R48 #1 Lucho Cordova in the final
• Lucho Cordova has appeared in three of four Race 4 Eight finals during the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight season, winning the 2023 R48 Icebreaker and finishing second at the 2023 Portland Classic and at the 2024 Chapman Memorial
• Catriona Casey won her twenty-seventh WR48 title and fifteenth WR48 title in a row and now holds an 88-2 match record on the WR48
• David Fink won his thirteenth SR48 title and eleventh in a row at the 2024 Chapman Memorial, defeating Dave Munson in two games in the final
• Killian Carroll became the twenty-ninth player on the Race 4 Eight tour to face match point and win the match, surviving four match points against Martin Mulkerrins in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Chapman Memorial
• Killian Carroll (2024 Chapman Memorial) and Danos Cordova (2023 Tucson Memorial) are the only players in Race 4 Eight history to face match point and win the tournament
• John Chapman earned his best career Race 4 Eight finish at the tournament named for his brother, defeating 2023 RFC R48LTE finalist Max Langmack in the round of 32 and eventually finishing eleventh
• Jab Bike authored one of the largest playoff comebacks in history, rallying from a 13-22 deficit to defeat Luke Sandy in the semifinals of the seventeenth place playoffs
• David Walsh earned his best finish of the season (in his first start of the season), building a 24-20 lead against Vic Perez and needing six match points to eventually win 25-23
• Daniel Cordova extended his semifinal or better streak to four in a row this season at the 2024 Chapman Memorial
• 2024 Chapman Memorial tournament directors Eric and Katie Hillgren and Jeff and Janiki Streibig jumped into the top three of all-time Race 4 Eight tournament directors with their eyes set on the top spot
• Ciana Ni Churraoin dropped to 0-6 in WR48 finals with her finals appearance at the 2024 Chapman Memorial (all six losses to Catriona Casey)
• The 2024 Chapman Memorial featured the second most players (47) in a R48 Men’s Pro draw in the 84-event history of the tour (2019 Memorial – 50 players)
• Killian Carroll (5-0, R48), Catriona Casey (7-0, WR48) and David Fink (6-0, SR48) are the only undefeated players on the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight tour
• Chapman Memorial tournament director Jeff Streibig finished 11^th on his home court at the St. Louis Hinder Club, defeating Bill Mehilos and Mark Doyle
• Leo Canales earned his best R48 finish since the 2023 R48 Player’s Championship at the 2024 Chapman Memorial, finishing sixth with wins against John Chapman and Daniel Relihan
• In the two tiebreakers from the round of 16 and quarterfinals at the Chapman Memorial, the match winners scored less points than their opponents: Carroll def Mulkerrins (34-39), Fink def Canales (35-36)
• The only players to have played in and earned ranking points in all four 2023/24 R48 events are Lucho, Danos, Fink, Esser, Doyle
• The only players to have played in and earned ranking points in the two 2023/24 SR48 events are David Fink, Bill Mehilos and Kyle English
• Lucho and Danos are the only players that have advanced to the semifinals of all four 2023/24 Race 4 Eight R48 Men’s pro stops
• Killian Carroll defeated the #1 (Lucho), #2 (M. Mulkerrins) and #3 (Danos) players on the Race 4 Eight tour to win the 2024 Chapman Memorial

First time Race players making a splash and winning Chapman Memorial MVP Honors!

• Daniel Relihan won his first three matches in the 2024 R48 Chapman Memorial, defeating R48 #10 Ivan Burgos in the round of 32 and David Munson in the round of 16, eventually finishing seventh to earn Chapman Memorial MVP honors
• Niamh Heffernan finished third in her first WR48 start, defeating second-seeded Ashely Ruiz in the quarterfinals and winning the third place playoff by defeating 2023 WR48 New Orleans finalist Clodagh Munroe to earn Chapman Memorial MVP honors
• Dave Munson finished second in his first SR48 start at the Chapman Memorial, knocking out SR48 #3 Kyle English in a 15-13 tiebreaker in the quarterfinals and SR48 #2 Bill Mehilos in a 15-8 tiebreaker, while also defeating R48 #9 Shorty Ruiz in the R48 Men’s Pro round of 32, eventually finishing tied for thirteenth and playing eight singles matches during the event!

St. Louis Comebacks

• Killian Carroll trailed Martin Mulkerrins 9-14 in game three of their R48 quarterfinal match and survived four match points to win the match and eventually win the tournament
• Lucho Cordova trailed Chapman Memorial MVP Daniel Relihan 1-11 in the second game of their R48 quarterfinal match and won 15-12
• David Fink trailed Stephen Cooney 7-13 in the first game of their R48 round of 16 match and won 16-14
• Jab Bike trailed Luke Sandy 13-22 in their 17^th place semifinal and won 25-22
• 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.

Race 4 Eight Rankings Shake Up from October 2023 Through January 2024

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

2023/24 Elite 8 (Through the 2024 Chapman Memorial)

1. Lucho Cordova
2. Danos Cordova
3. Martin Mulkerrins
4. David Fink
5. Leo Canales, Jr.
6. Sean Lenning
7. Killian Carroll
8. Sam Esser

 

2013 WR48 Fab 4 -After first WR48 Stop at the Oct 2013 Simple Green U.S. Open

Catriona Casey

Aisling Reilly

Megan Dorneker

Tracy Davis

2023 WR48 Fab 4 Post Player’s Championship

Catriona Casey

Fiona Tully

Elise McCrory

Ashley Ruiz

2023 WR48 Fab 4 Post 2024 Chapman Memorial

1. Catriona Casey
2. Elise McCrory
3. Clodagh Munroe
4. Ashley Ruiz

 

2023/24 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post December 2023 R48 Icebreaker

• Lucho Cordova won his fifth Icebreaker at the 2023 R48 Icebreaker, tying him with David Fink for the most men’s Icebreaker titles in the history of the Icebreaker Series
• Lucho’s fifth Icebreaker title was also his tenth Race 4 Eight title, tying him for third all-time on the Race 4 Eight tour
• Andres Cordova registered his best R48 finish of his career at the 2023 R48 Icebreaker (10^th) to win MVP honors at the R48 Icebreaker, defeating R48 top 16 pro Jeff Streibig and former Icebreaker champion Abraham Montijo in the ninth place playoffs
• David Fink played three Cordovas at the 2023 R48 Icebreaker (2-1), while Henry Fink played two Cordovas in the R48 Icebreaker junior singles (0-2) – that’s a lot of Cordovas!
• Jab Bike scored his best R48 finish at the 2023 R48 Icebreaker (5^th), defeating Leo Canales (#5), Ivan Burgos (#10) and Shorty Ruiz (#9)
• The 2023 R48 Icebreaker featured the most fans of any Icebreaker in history, much due to the outstanding BBQ provided by WPH grill-masters Scott Cleveland, Con Man and Montana Russ
• Leo Canales stormed back into form after an opening round loss to Jab Bike at the 2023 R48 Icebreaker, outscoring Mark Doyle and Andres Cordova 50-15 to win the ninth place playoffs
• Lucho Cordova won his last three games at the 2023 R48 Icebreaker by a combined score of 63-14 (82%) – def Sean Lenning in game two of the upper bracket semifinal 21-2, def David Fink in the final 21-6, 21-6
• Mark Doyle (IRE) finished 11^th in his first Icebreaker appearance at the 2023 R48 Icebreaker and has now finished 11^th, 10^th, and 11^th in his three starts on the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight season
• The 2023 R48 Icebreaker featured three main draw tiebreakers, with the finalists playing all three – Fink (def Esser, Danos), Lucho (def Burgos)
• WPH Outdoor big ball star Alberto Pizano qualified for the first-time on the Race 4 Eight tour at the 2023 R48 qualifier and nearly took 10-time R48 champion Lucho Cordova to a tiebreaker in the round of 16
• Jeff Streibig led the 2023 R48 Icebreaker in fairways hit, sending twelve balls onto the 15^th fairway on the Randolph Golf Course – Streibig also led all golfers in fairways hit during the weekend
• Race 4 Eight Icebreaker donors Fred Banfield, Gary Maushardt, Doug Clark, the WPH board of directors and private donors have enabled the best handball players in the world and the best athletes in the world to compete for phenomenal prize money and to showcase their incredible skills to the world throughout the Race 4 Eight Tour (2011-2023) and Icebreaker Series (2020-2023)

Streaking! Danos Sees Impressive Streaks End – Fan-favorite R48 #3 Danos Cordova had been streaking coming into his semifinal match at the December R48 Icebreaker. The streaks were snapped by David Fink in a come-from-behind tiebreaker. Let take a look at Danos’s streaks that started in August:

• 8-match Icebreaker win streak: 2 matches at the July Clarkbreaker (5^th), 4 matches in the August Ice Bowl win, 2 matches at the December R48 Icebreaker
• 7-match R48 win streak: 5 matches in the 2023 R48 Memorial win, 2 matches at the December R48 Icebreaker
• 4 consecutive tiebreaker wins: 1 at the 2023 Portland Classic (D. Hernandez), 3 at the R48 Memorial (Fink, Lucho, Mulkerrins)

 

2023/24 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post the 2023 Memorial

• Danos Cordova won his first Race 4 Eight event since the 2019 Race 4 Eight E4 Atlanta and his fourth overall at the 2023 Race 4 Eight Memorial
• Danos won three consecutive tiebreakers at the 2023 Memorial (Fink, Lucho, Mulkerrins)
• Danos became the twenty-eighth player in Race 4 Eight history to face match point and win the match and the first to face match win and win the tournament
• Danos Cordova (8) and Martin Mulkerrins (8) are tied with the most match wins on the tour through two events on the 2023/24 season
• After winning five of the first eight events on the 2022/23 R48 Tour, Lucho Cordova is now winless in his last four Race starts
• Catriona Casey won her twenty-sixth WR48 title at the 2023 Memorial, improving her WR48 match record to 84-2 and recording her fourteenth consecutive WR48 tournament win
• Elise McCrory advanced to her first WR48 final in her fourth WR48 start

Comebacks!

• Vic Perez trailed 11-13 in the tiebreaker in his round of 32 match in Portland (Streibig) and 11-13 in the tiebreaker in his round of 32 match in Tucson (D. Mulkerrins) and won both tiebreakers 15-13, parlaying those comebacks into a ninth place finish in Portland and a third place finish in Tucson
• Sam Esser rallied from a 3-9 tiebreaker deficit against Mark Doyle in the round of 16 in Portland and an 8-12 tiebreaker deficit against Erik Torres in the round of 16 in Tucson to finish sixth and seventh, respectively, moving him back into the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 for the first time since December of 2022
• 2022/23 Race 4 Eight Rookie of the Year Mark Doyle has lost consecutive round of 16 tiebreakers (Esser, Lenning)
• Ivan Burgos is 4-0 in tiebreakers through two events on the 2023/24 R48 tour (Gaulton, Langmack, Chapman, Ruiz), parlaying his clutch play into his highest R48 ranking (currently #10)
• The two first-time 2022/23 Race 4 Eight finalists (Langmack- 2023 RFC, Canales- 2023 Player’s Championship) have combined to win two matches thus far on the 2023/24 R48 Tour: Langmack (1-3), Canales (1-2)
• There have been five different semifinalists through two events on the 2023/24 R48 Tour: Mulkerrins, Lucho, Danos, Lenning, V. Perez – of the five different semifinalists, only Lenning has three losses
• With Martin Mulkerrins losing in the 2023 Memorial final, no player can sweep the season (there has never been a clean sweep during any R48 Men’s Pro season)
• Abraham Montijo bounced back from an injury default in Portland to finish eleventh in Tucson, defeating R48 #20 Loren Collado in the round of 32 and R48 #9 Shorty Ruiz in the ninth place playoffs
• In his first R48 start at the 2023 Memorial, North Dakota’s Luke Sandy won six matches against just one loss, claiming seventeenth place and Memorial MVP honors with wins against Race 4 Eight pros Bill Mehilos, John Chapman, Diarmuid Mulkerrins and Max Langmack
• The LAAC’s Dylan Hernandez has finished in the top ten in both events on the 2023/24 R48 tour (tenth in Portland, ninth in Tucson)
• Kyle English made his first SR48 final at the 2023 Memorial, becoming just the fifth different SR48 finalist since 2018 (Fink, Chavez, Mehilos, Brady, English)
• The 2023 Memorial featured the most ranked pros in the history of the R48 Men’s Pro (25)
• David Fink extended his SR48 titles lead to twelve with his win at the 2023 Memorial

 

2023/24 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post the 2023 Portland Classic

• Martin Mulkerrins repeated at the 2023 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic, making his first Race 4 Eight title defense and winning his sixth career Race 4 Eight title
• Martin Mulkerrins won eight of nine games he played at the 2023 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic, outscoring his four opponents by a combined 104-69 (60%)
• Ivan Burgos earned the best finish of his Race 4 Eight career at the 2023 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic (fifth), beating three Race 4 Eight top 10 pros in the event (Langmack, Fink, Esser)
• Since winning back to back Race 4 Eight events at the 2023 R48 Juarez and the 2023 Hall of Fame, Lucho has not won a Race stop in his last three Race appearances (2023 RFC, 2023 Player’s Championship, 2023 Portland Classic)
• Vic Perez earned his best finish on the Race 4 Eight tour since the 2023 R48 Red Death Montana (seventh) at the 2023 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic, beating Dylan Hernandez to finish ninth
• Danos Cordova became the twenty-seventh player in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour to face match point and win against Dylan Hernandez at the 2023 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic (Hernandez served three times with match point)
• Sean Lenning extended his Race 4 Eight top three finish streak to his four events at the 2023 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic, losing in the semifinals to Martin Mulkerrins
• 2023 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic featured six tiebreakers in the round of 16, zero tiebreakers in the quarterfinals and one tiebreaker in the semifinals and final
• 23 current pros entered the 2023 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic (most in history)

 

Assorted R48 Fun Facts 

 

Catriona Casey is the only player in Race 4 Eight history to have started a Race 4 Eight event and never lost before the finals

 

Catriona Casey became the first women’s player in the history of handball to defeat a current men’s pro in tournament play at the NYAC ‘18. Casey defeated then R48 #22 Loren Collado 25-19 in the 17^th place playoffs

 

Juan Canales Sr. and Juan Canales, Jr. (MEX) are the first (and only) father and son to qualify on the R48 tour

 

Luis Cordova is the youngest R48 pro to finish the season in the Elite age: 21 years old in 2012

 

Colin Crehan was the youngest qualifier in R48 history at the 2015 R48 NYAC (19)

 

The largest age gap in a Race 4 Eight final: Killian Carroll vs. David Fink (16 years)

The smallest age gap in a Race 4 Eight final: Sean Lenning vs. Allan Garner (4 days)

 

Sean Lenning played in the most consecutive R48 events to start a R48 career before missing New Orleans ’17 (37)

David Fink made the most career Race starts before making his first final (34)

David Fink made the most career Race starts before winning a title (63)

 

The Race 4 Eight averages 14 hours of coverage per weekend on ESPN3, not including ESPN3 replays

 

Gavin Buggy is the only player to have appeared on ESPN and never lost (Portland  SR48 ’16)

Counting only round of 16 and Playoff matches, Tommy Little owns the worst record in R48 history (0-9)

 

John Bike, Jr. was the oldest qualifier in R48 history at the 2013 R48 II Houston (47 years, 11 months). Leo Canales Sr. broke Bike’s record by qualifying at 52 years, 10 months for the Tucson Memorial ‘18

 

Tyler Hamel (4), Dan Armijo (1), Dave Vincent (1), Matt Mclaughlin (1), John Bike (1), Tom Sheridan (1), Chris Watkins (1), Bill Mehilos (1), Paul Brady (1), Kyle English (1) have all advanced to SR48 finals but not won a title

 

10 players have held the Race 4 Eight #1 Ranking

• David Chapman
• Sean Lenning
• Luis Moreno
• Charly Shanks
• Paul Brady
• Mando Ortiz
• Killian Carroll
• David Fink
• Luis Cordova
• Martin Mulkerrins

 

David Fink is the only player to be ranked #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, and #8 on the Race 4 Eight Tour

R48 Men’s Pro Champions have ranged in age from (22) Luis Moreno at the Plummer R48 I Stop #1 and Killian Carroll (22) at the R48 V Player’s Championship to (44) David Fink at the R48 X Icebreaker

 

The only player to have been ranked inside the Men’s Pro R48 Elite 8 since the inception of the R48 tour in 2011 is David Fink

 

The youngest Race 4 Eight Champion in history was Catriona Casey at the WR48 I Stop #1 Simple Green U.S. Open (20)

 

In 21 R48 Men’s Pro starts, Paul Brady has a match record of 73-7 (91%)

 

January ’19 marked the first time in R48 history that two 40-somethings have held R48 Elite 8 rankings simultaneously (Fink, Chavez)

 

The 2023 Houston R48 featured two sets of brothers in the quarterfinals in the same event for the first time in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour

 

David Fink and Marcos Chavez (Las Vegas ’18 R48 quarterfinals and Las Vegas ’18 SR48 finals) and Bill Mehilos and Kyle English (RFC ’23 R48 fifth place semifinals and RFC ’23 SR48 semifinals) are the only players to play one another twice in the same event. Fink and Mehilos won both matches

 

No teenager has ever been ranked in the R48 Elite 8, three 40-somethings have been ranked in the R48 Elite 8 (Alvarado, Fink, Chavez)

 

Emmett and Courtney Peixoto de Melo and Robbie and Aoife McCarthy are the only brothers/sisters to have been ranked on the Race 4 Eight 

 

Daniel Cordova became the first player to win the 5^th place playoffs without dropping one point at the ’17 Tucson Memorial (consecutive forfeits)

 

Dalton Beall holds the record with six consecutive R48 playoff forfeits (October 2016-Feb 2018)

 

Allan Garner/Aaron Garner, Luis Cordova/Daniel Cordova, and Peter Funchion/Paddy Funchion (Bash Brothers) are the only brothers to have held R48 rankings

 

Martina McMahon became the first left-handed player to win a R48 or WR48 stop at the 2017 Tucson Memorial

Since MM’s left-handed Race victory, Danielle Daskalakis (2021) and David Fink (2021) have also become Race champions

David Fink and Diarmaid Nash are the only left-handed R48 Men’s pro players have appeared in R48 Men’s Pro finals (Fink and Nash have never played one another)

Every player who has entered a R48 Men’s Pro has lost in the round of 16

The only R48 pro to have never entered a qualifier is David Fink

Two-time defending world champion Aisling Reilly (2012, 2015) is 1-6 in WR48 finals, with her lone victory coming in the 2015 Simple Green U.S. Open

From 2011-2022, the only left vs. lefty matchup in the history of the R48 tour was the first R48 match ever played between John Bike and David Fink at the 2011 Plummer Bash – 1800+ R48 matches later, Niall O’Connor played John Bike followed by Niall O’Connor playing David Fink at the 2022 R48 Memorial then David Fink playing David Schiller at the 2023 RFC R48LTE, made four lefty vs. lefty matchups in the history of the tour

Catriona Casey leads Aisling Reilly 6-1 head-to-head in WR48 play with 22 WR48 titles for Casey to one for Reilly

Max Langmack (6”9) became the tallest pro in R48 and pro handball history when he qualified at the 2018 R48 7 Houston (finished 10^th). Langmack’s best career Race finish is second at the 2023 R48LTE RFC

The largest height disparity in a R48 match is 17 inches (Langmack vs. Burgos Montana ‘23)

Max Langmack and Pete Svennungsen combined to create the tallest match in R48 qualifier history (155 inches)

Tyler Hamel is the only player to have played in a R48 qualifier and never lost one point (Houston ’14)

Mando Ortiz became the first R48 pro to defeat four former or current WPH #1 pros in his maiden R48 title in Houston 2016: Emmett Peixoto (2008), Allan Garner (2009), Paul Brady (2016), Sean Lenning (2012)

Two members of the original Elite 8 from the first Race event at the 2011 Plummer Bash is in the current Elite 8 (Fink, Lenning)

Killian Carroll held the longest winning streak in Race 4 Eight history with 32 consecutive wins (2020-2022)

David Fink holds the longest winning streak on the SR48 tour: 25 matches (2018-current)

Marcos Chavez became the first player in Race 4 Eight history to defeat doctors in consecutive matches at the 2016 SR48 Houston (Dr. Dan Zimet and Dr. Tyler Hamel)

Mando Ortiz became the first player to defeat Paul Brady in international singles play and win the tournament since 2004 (Chapman) at the 2016 Houston R48 V Stop #4 (Killian Carroll became the second at the R48 V Player’s Championship)

Paul Brady has lost twice in the semifinals in a R48 event (15-2)

Mando Ortiz became the first R48 champion to win back-to-back tiebreakers by the minimum margin of two points in the semifinals and finals of a R48 event (Houston 2016: 15-13 x 2)

Shorty Ruiz became the first player in R48 history to lose back to back round of 16 matches by two points in the third game (Montana ’18, Las Vegas ’18). Ivan Burgos matched Ruiz’s dubious feat at the 2023 Juarez LTE (loss to Cooney 13-15 in the tiebreaker) then at the next event, the 2023 Hall of Fame R48LTE (loss to Esser 15-17 in the tiebreaker)

Of the 12 R48 champions, nine have been ranked #1 on the Race 4 Eight: Moreno, Lenning, Shanks, Brady, Ortiz, Carroll, Fink, L. Cordova, Mulkerrins

Marcos Chavez (45 years, 11 months) is the oldest player to ever finish a R48 event in the top three (RFC ‘20)

Catriona Casey won her eighth consecutive WR48 Player’s Championship at the 2022 Aces Player’s Championship

Ryan Bowler was the highest ranked Canadian R48 pro in history (#26 in 2018)

Ivan Burgos (now living in AZ) is now the highest ranked Canadian in Race 4 Eight history (#10 in 2023)

Catriona Casey pitched the only perfect game in the history of a Race 4 Eight final in not allowing a point or a side out in the final of the San Francisco Olympic Club Del Grande Dealer Group ’15

The five tallest players ever ranked on the R48 tour are Max Langmack (6’9), Andy Nett (6’3), Charly Shanks (6’3), Adam Bernhard (6’3), Sean Lenning (6’2), Loren Collado (6’2)

The LAAC won the inaugural Manning Cup by defeating Team Tucson at the Tucson Memorial ’17, earning the title of best handball club in the world. Mando Ortiz, Marcos Chavez, and Vic Perez represented the LAAC in the ’17 Manning Cup. The Manning Cup was named for WPH film crew superstar Ben Manning

184-186 Courtesy of WPH ambassador, lifetime member, and R48 referee Nick Flores:

1. On the Men’s R48, from Season 1 through Season 7, in 150 tiebreakers:

– the player who won the 2nd game won the tiebreaker 57% of the time

– the player who served first in the tiebreaker won 61% of the time

 

2. On the Women’s R48, from Season 1 through Season 5, in 31 tiebreakers:

– the player who won the 2nd game won the tiebreaker 71% of the time

– the player who served first in the tiebreaker won 67% of the time

 

3. On the Senior R48, from Season 1 through Season 6, in 9 tiebreakers:

– the player who won the 2nd game won the tiebreaker 56% of the time

– the player who served first in the tiebreaker won 67% of the time

 

Nick Flores: “For the Men and the Seniors, serving first in the tiebreaker is more of a factor than winning the 2nd game. However for the Women, winning the 2nd game has a higher win % than serving first, indicating momentum may be a bigger factor for Women.”

To view the Race 4 Eight Pro Player Bios, go here

To view even more Race 4 Eight Fun Facts, go HERE

 

Race 4 Eight Results: 2011-2023

 

Race 4 Eight Season I: 2011-12

R48 Men’s Pro

Plummer Bash (ID): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 21-7, 21-17

U.S. Open (CA): Robbie McCarthy (IRE) def Charly Shanks (IRE) 21-15, 18-21, 11-9

Tucson (AZ): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Sean Lenning (WA) 21-19, 21-4

Fresno (CA): Sean Lenning (WA) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 25-8, 25-23

Atlanta (GA): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 25-22, 23-25, 25-18

Salt Lake City (UT): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Sean Lenning (WA) 25-5, 25-8

LAAC (CA): Sean Lenning (WA) def Allan Garner (TX) 15-25, 25-14, 25-23

WAC Player’s Championship (WA): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Sean Lenning (WA) 15-11, 15-11

 

Race 4 Eight Season II: 2012-13

R48 Men’s Pro

U.S. Open (CA): Paul Brady (IRE) def Charly Shanks (IRE) 21-15, 21-12

Tucson (AZ): Sean Lenning (WA) def Allan Garner (TX) 15-13, 15-10

Houston (TX): Charly Shanks (IRE) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 15-11, 20-18

Anchorage (AK): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Charly Shanks (IRE) 15-6, 15-3

Denver (CO): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Sean Lenning (WA) 15-5, 15-13

Salt Lake City (UT): Charly Shanks (IRE) def Luis Moreno (AZ) 25-8

Seattle (WA): Paul Brady (IRE) def Charly Shanks (IRE) 15-5, 15-7

SR48

Houston (TX): Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) def Tyler Hamel (TX)

Denver (CO): Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) def Matt Mclaughlin (MO) 15-3, 15-1

Salt Lake City (UT): Naty Alvarado, Jr. def John Bike, Jr. 25-12

Seattle (WA): Andy Schad (D.C.) def John Bike, Jr. (CA) 15-10, 15-12

 

Race 4 Eight Season III: 2013-14

R48 Men’s Pro

Plummer Bash (ID): Allan Garner (TX) def Mando Ortiz (CA) 21-5, 21-10

U.S. Open (CA): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 21-6, 21-20

Houston (TX): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Diarmaid Nash (IRE) 21-12, 21-15

NYAC (NY): Paul Brady (IRE) def Robbie McCarthy (IRE) 21-12, 17-21, 11-6

Denver (CO): Paul Brady (IRE) def Emmett Peixoto (CA) 21-13, 21-13

Salt Lake City (UT): Robbie McCarthy (IRE) def Luis Moreno (AZ) 14-21, 21-16, 11-5

 

SR48

Houston (TX): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Tyler Hamel (TX) 25-23

Denver (CO): Bear Meiring (CO) def Dave Vincent (AZ) 25-20

Salt Lake City (UT): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Bear Meiring (CO) 25-13

 

WR48

U.S. Open (CA): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Aisling Reilly (IRE) 21-17, 21-12

NYAC (NY): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Tracy Davis (NY) 21-12, 21-3

Salt Lake City (UT): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Aisling Reilly (IRE) 21-14, 21-6

 

Race 4 Eight Season IV: 2014-15

 

R48 Men’s Pro

U.S. Open (CA): Paul Brady (IRE) def Luis Moreno (AZ) 21-8, 21-4

Tucson (AZ): Paul Brady (IRE) def Luis Moreno (AZ) 15-13, 15-11

Houston (TX): Paul Brady (IRE) def Sean Lenning (AZ) 15-5, 15-7

San Francisco (CA): Paul Brady (IRE) def Emmett Peixoto (CA) 15-7, 15-10

NYAC (NY): Paul Brady (IRE) def Andy Nett (MN) 15-3, 15-0

Salt Lake City (UT): Sean Lenning (AZ) def Mando Ortiz (CA) 3-15, 15-8, 15-9

 

SR48

Tucson (AZ): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 25-16

Houston (TX): Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) def Tyler Hamel (TX) 25-20

NYAC (NY): Andy Schad (D.C) def Dan Armijo (AZ) 25-2

Salt Lake City (UT): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Tom Sheridan (IRE) 25-15

 

WR48

U.S. Open (CA):  Catriona Casey def Aisling Reilly (IRE) 21-10, 21-16

San Francisco (CA): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Jessica Gawley (CAN) 15-0, 15-0

NYAC (NY): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Ciana Ni Churraion (IRE) 15-1, 12-15, 15-8

Salt Lake City (UT): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Aisling Reilly (IRE) 15-2, 12-15, 15-9

 

Race 4 Eight Season V: 2015-16

 

R48 Men’s Pro

U.S. Open (CA): Paul Brady (IRE) def Luis Moreno (AZ) 21-15, 21-14

Tucson (AZ): Sean Lenning (AZ) def Mando Ortiz (CA) 15-10, 15-7

New Orleans (LA): Paul Brady (IRE) def Killian Carroll (IRE) 15-11, 15-7

Houston (TX): Mando Ortiz (CA) def Sean Lenning (AZ) 15-0, 7-15, 15-13

NYAC (NY): Paul Brady (IRE) def Mando Ortiz (CA) 15-11, 15-6

Salt Lake City (UT): Paul Brady (IRE) def Sean Lenning (WA) 15-5, 4-15, 15-5

Portland (OR): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Sean Lenning (WA) 15-6, 12-15, 15-11

 

SR48

U.S. Open (CA): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 16-21, 21-12, 11-7

Houston (TX): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Tyler Hamel (TX) 25-14

Portland (OR): Gavin Buggy (IRE) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 21-17, 21-17

 

WR48

U.S. Open (CA): Aisling Reilly (IRE) def Catriona Casey (IRE) 6-21, 21-11, 11-9

NYAC (NY): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Martina McMahon (IRE) 21-11, 21-2

Portland (OR): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Aisling Reilly (IRE) 15-4, 15-6

 

Race 4 Eight Season VI: 2016-17

 

R48 Men’s Pro

U.S. Open (CA): Robbie McCarthy (IRE) def Mando Ortiz (CA) 21-5, 21-17

Minneapolis (MN): Mando Ortiz (CA) def David Fink (AZ) 15-4, 8-15, 15-9

Plummer Bash (ID): Luis Moreno (AZ) def David Fink (AZ) 15-4, 15-5

New Orleans (LA): Killian Carroll (IRE) def David Fink (AZ) 2-15, 15-12, 15-8

Houston (TX): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Luis Moreno (AZ) 15-7, 15-4

NYAC (NY): Paul Brady (IRE) def Killian Carroll (IRE) 15-12, 15-5

Salt Lake City (UT): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Luis Cordova (MEX) 12-15, 15-0, 15-6

SR48

U.S. Open (CA): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 7-21, 21-10, 11-10

Minneapolis (MN): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Naty Alvarado (CA) 15-12, 15-9

Salt Lake City (UT): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Chris Watkins (CA) 25-13

 

WR48

U.S. Open (CA): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Aisling Reilly (IRE) 21-3, 21-14

NYAC (NY): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Martina McMahon (IRE) 15-5, 15-4

Salt Lake City (UT): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Martina McMahon (IRE)

 

Race 4 Eight Season VII: 2017-18

 

R48 Men’s Pro

Atlanta (GA): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Mando Ortiz (CA) 17-15, 15-4

Tucson (AZ): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Robbie McCarthy (IRE) 15-9, 15-1

Missoula (MT): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Mando Ortiz (CA) 12-15, 15-3, 15-11

Las Vegas (NV): Sean Lenning (WA) def Killian Carroll (IRE) 7-15, 15-10, 15-12

Houston (TX): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Sean Lenning (WA) 15-1, 16-14

NYAC (NY): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Daniel Cordova (GA) 15-3, 15-9

Salt Lake City (UT): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Sean Lenning (WA) 17-15, 5-15, 15-7

 

SR48

Las Vegas (NV): David Fink (AZ) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 25-10

Houston (TX): David Fink (AZ) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 25-3

Salt Lake City (UT): Marcos Chavez (CA) def David Fink (AZ) 25-22

 

WR48

Tucson (AZ): Martina McMahon (IRE) def Catriona Casey (IRE) 14-16, 15-9, 15-3

Las Vegas (NV): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Courtney Peixoto de Melo 15-0, 15-3

NYAC (NY): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Suz Koehler (MO) 15-1, 15-3

Salt Lake City (UT): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Aimee Tuohey (GA) 15-9, 15-0

 

Race 4 Eight Season VIII: 2018-19

 

R48 Men’s Pro

Atlanta (GA): Luis Cordova (MEX) def Daniel Cordova (MEX) 15-12, 9-15, 15-12

Tucson (AZ): Sean Lenning (WA) def Killian Carroll (IRE) 15-10, 15-7

Portland (OR): Daniel Cordova (GA) def Killian Carroll (IRE) 15-6, 15-6

Missoula (MT): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Sean Lenning (WA) 13-15, 15-2, 15-6

New Orleans (LA): Luis Cordova (MEX) def Vic Perez (CA) 15-9, 15-7

Tucson (AZ): Daniel Cordova (MEX) def David Fink (AZ) 15-9, 15-6

San Francisco (CA): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Sean Lenning (WA) 9-15, 15-6, 15-9

NYAC (NY): Paul Brady (IRE) def Robbie McCarthy (IRE) 15-13, 15-2

Salt Lake City (UT): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Daniel Cordova (MEX) 15-12, 15-3

 

SR48

Tucson (AZ): David Fink (AZ) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 15-2, 15-11

New Orleans (LA): David Fink (AZ) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 15-3, 15-4

Salt Lake City (UT): David Fink (AZ) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 17-15, 15-9

 

WR48

Tucson (AZ): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Ciana Ni Churraoin (IRE) 15-7, 16-14

San Francisco (CA): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Ciana Ni Churraoin (IRE) 15-12, 15-6

Salt Lake City (UT): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Martina McMahon (IRE) 15-13, 15-12

 

Race 4 Eight Season IX: 2019-20

 

R48 Men’s Pro

Atlanta (GA): Daniel Cordova (MEX) def Luis Cordova (MEX) 15-7, 15-8

Portland (OR):  Luis Cordova (MEX) def Sean Lenning (WA) 13-15, 15-4, 15-1

Tucson (AZ): Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) def Sean Lenning (WA) 15-9, 15-6

Missoula (MT): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) 16-14, 15-5

New Orleans (LA): Lucho Cordova (MEX) def Danos Cordova (GA) 11-15, 15-13, 15-9

Pittsburgh (PA): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Danos Cordova (TX) 15-8, 15-1

 

SR48

Tucson (AZ): David Fink (AZ) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 10-15, 15-10, 15-8

Pittsburgh (PA): David Fink (AZ) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 15-11, 15-1

WR48

Tucson (AZ): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Ciana Ni Churraoin (IRE) 15-2, 15-4

New Orleans (LA): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Ciana Ni Churraoin (IRE) 15-3, 15-10

 

Race 4 Eight Season X: 2021-22

R48 Men’s Pro

Tucson (AZ):  Killian Carroll (IRE) def Lucho Cordova (MEX) 15-11, 15-2

Nashville (TN): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Paul Brady (IRE) 15-21, 21-6, 5-4 inj fft

Tucson (AZ): David Fink (AZ) def Luis Cordova (MEX) inj. fft

Tucson (AZ): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Danos Cordova (TX) 15-6, 15-9

Houston (TX): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Diarmaid Nash (IRE) 15-1, 11-15, 15-7

Tucson (AZ):  Killian Carroll (IRE) def Lucho Cordova (MEX) 15-4, 8-15, 15-1

Salt Lake City (UT): Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) def Killian Carroll (IRE) 15-8, 11-15, 15-3

 

SR48

Salt Lake City (UT): David Fink (AZ) def Bill Mehilos (IN) 15-6, 15-4

 

WR48

Nashville (TN): Danielle Daskalakis (NY) def Ashley Moler (AZ) 21-8, 21-7

Houston (TX): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Fiona Tully (IRE) 15-1, 15-4

Salt Lake City (UT): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Martina McMahon (IRE) 16-14, 1-15, 15-7

 

Race 4 Eight Season XI: 2022-23

R48 Men’s Pro

Portland (OR): Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) def Lucho Cordova (TX/MEX) 15-8, 15-5

Tucson (AZ): Lucho Cordova (TX/MEX) def Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) 15-7, 15-8

Tucson (AZ): Lucho Cordova (TX/MEX) def David Fink (AZ) 21-16, 21-8

New Orleans (LA): Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) def Lucho Cordova (TX/MEX) 15-2, 15-11

Missoula (MT): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) 16-14, 15-4

Houston (TX): Luis Cordova (MEX) def Killian Carroll (MEX) 6-15, 15-13, 15-11

Juarez (MEX): Luis Cordova (MEX) def Sean Lenning (WA) 10-15, 15-6, 15-3

Tucson (AZ): Luis Cordova (MEX) def Sean Lenning (WA) 16-14, 15-1

Pittsburgh (PA): Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) def Max Langmack (KS) 15-3, 15-8

Salt Lake City (UT): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Leo Canales, Jr. (TX) 15-11, 15-10

 

SR48

Tucson (AZ): David Fink (AZ) def Bill Mehilos (IN) 15-2, 13-15, 15-3

Pittsburgh (PA): David Fink (AZ) def Bill Mehilos (IN) 15-7, 15-0

Salt Lake City (UT): David Fink (AZ) def Paul Brady (IRE) inj. fft

 

 

WR48

Tucson (AZ): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Fiona Tully (IRE) 15-3, 15-7

New Orleans (LA): Aimee Tuohey (WI) def Clodah Munroe (IRE) 15-0, 15-7

Houston (TX): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Fiona Tully (IRE) 15-1, 15-4

Salt Lake City (UT): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Fiona Tully (IRE) 15-5, 15-5

 

Race 4 Eight Season XII: 2023-24

R48

Portland (OR): Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) def Lucho Cordova (TX/MEX) 15-13, 15-5

Tucson (AZ): Danos Cordova (MEX) def Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) 15-11, 14-16, 15-10

Tucson (AZ): Lucho Cordova (TX/MEX) def David Fink (AZ) 21-16, 21-6

St. Louis (MO): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Lucho Cordova (TX/MEX) 15-8, 15-2

Missoula (MT): Daniel Cordova (MEX) def Leo Canales (TX) 15-4, 15-8

 

WR48

Tucson (AZ): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Elise McCrory (IRE) 15-7, 15-8

St. Louis (MO): Catriona Casey (IRE) def Ciana Ni Churraoin (IRE) 15-11, 15-10

 

SR48

Tucson (AZ): David Fink (AZ) def Kyle English (OR) 15-3, 15-6

St. Louis (MO): David Fink (AZ) def David Munson (IL) 15-10, 15-9

 

Race 4 Eight Player’s Cup Champions (ranked #1 at season’s end)

 

R48 Men’s Pro

2012: Luis Moreno

2013: Charly Shanks

2014: Luis Moreno

2015: Paul Brady

2016: Paul Brady

2017: Killian Carroll

2018: Killian Carroll

2019: Killian Carroll

2020: Killian Carroll

2022: Killian Carroll

2023: Lucho Cordova

WR48

2014: Catriona Casey

2015: Catriona Casey

2016: Catriona Casey

2017: Catriona Casey

2018: Catriona Casey

2019: Catriona Casey

2020: Catriona Casey

2022: Catriona Casey

2023: Catriona Casey

 

SR48

2013: John Bike, Jr.

2014: Marcos Chavez

2015: Marcos Chavez

2016: Marcos Chavez

2017: Marcos Chavez

2018: David Fink

2019: David Fink

2020: David Fink

2022: David Fink

2023: David Fink

 

Handball History, Origins, and Games

 

Handball History

      According to Tom O’Connor in the History of Handball on the USHA website HERE, the first record of ball games with the hand is 2000 B.C. in Egypt. In 450 B.C. Alexander the Great was credited with spreading the game to Greek colonies in Italy, where the game was then spread to Spain, France, and other parts of the Roman Empire.

      Mentions of handball became more numerous as Europe emerged from the Dark Ages in 1000 A.D., as Jeux de Paume (palm play) gained popularity with the nobility in their enclosed courts and the ordinary people who played longe-paume on common land.

      Jeux de Paume, or Jeu de Paume as it is also known, originated in France, and is a former Olympic Sport with the oldest ongoing amateur world championship in sport, starting in 1740.

      Jeu de Paume became known as tennis and eventually “real tennis.”  The outdoor version of Jeux de Paume is known as longue paume. Jeux de Paume was a medal event at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

      Today France’s Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume is a museum of contemporary art, but when the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume museum was constructed at the behest of Napoleon III in 1861, a space with a length of 80m and a width of 13m was used for Jeux de Paume.

(Information gathered HERE and HERE)

Basque Pelota

      Basque Pelota is one of the most popular sports in Basque Country (autonomous community in Spain) and is played by hitting a ball against a wall, called a fronton. Basque Pelota can be played using a racquet, your hands, or a wooden bat. The main types of Pelota include Hand, Zesta Punta, Pala, and Remonte. The Basques claim that zesta punta, in which a rubber ball is caught inside a basket and hurled into the wall, is the fastest game on earth.

      Hand pelota most closely resembles the form of handball in which North American and Irish handballers are most familiar, in which players try to hit the ball with their hands out of their opponent’s reach.

      Much like Jeu de Palme, the origins of Basque Pelota are thought to have originated in Ancient Greece, and is played today in Spain, France, North America, South America, and the Philippines. Also like Jeu de Palme, Basque Pelota was an official Olympic Sport in the 1900 Olympic Games, contested between France and Spain

Information gathered HERE

Australian 3-Wall Handball

Australian 3-Wall started formally in 1923, with earlier versions of the game starting in the 19^th century. The Australian Handball Council was formed in 1928, which runs the various Australian 3-Wall championships.

Comparing Australian 3-Wall handball to U.S. 3-Wall handball

      Australian 3-Wall is the supersized version of American 3-Wall – the dimensions of an American 3-Wall court are 40×20, whereas the dimensions of the Australian court are 60×30

      In American 3-Wall, the long line (40 feet) serves as the backline – if the ball does not land on or before the backline, the ball is “out.” In Australian 3-Wall, the ball can travel past the long line, as long as the ball stays within the confines of the side walls, meaning the ball could travel 40 feet (or more) beyond the long line and still be in play

      The Australian 3-Wall ball is roughly the same size as the U.S. small ball handball, but considerably softer, making the ball play slower

      In traditional U.S. 3-Wall, players must stand inside the service box, not allowing either foot to exit the confines of the service box until the serve has crossed the service line. In Australian 3-Wall, the server can stand inches from the front wall when serving, with some players almost hitting their serving hand against the front wall on their service follow through

Some information from this Sunday Stats obtained HERE

60×30 Court Dimensions, Balls, Rules

      The Irish 60×30 court dimensions: 30 feet wide, front wall is 27 feet high, the length is 60 feet with a recommended back wall height of 10 feet

      The short line is 32.5 feet from the front wall.

      60×30 can be played with a Hardball or Softball all at the Senior (Open) Level, in addition to junior balls.

      The Softball is made of rubber, red, and is between 2.2inches to 2.25 inches in diameter and weights between 58-60 grams.

      The Hardball is made of rubber and yarn covered with goatskin or other suitable hide with a center of lancewood or cork

      The Hardball size is between 1.8-1.95 inches, and weighs between 42.5-49.6 grams.

      Timeouts are not permitted in 60×30 handball, with two minutes allowed between the first and second game and five minutes allowed between the second and third games

      60×30 matches at the championship level are best two of three games, all games to 21, win by one point.

Information for this Sunday Stats found HERE

60×30 Handball History, Championships, Courts, & Participation

      The first organized handball matches in Ireland in the 20^th century were played on a 60×30 court

      60×30 Handball is referred to as the “Big Alley”

      60×30 was originally an outdoor game, only moving indoors as the old courts (alleys) were roofed and new indoor alleys were constructed

      Hardball 60×30 is the most ancient handball game in Ireland, and also considered the most severe due to the ball moving at a higher speed than any other ball and the hardness of the ball

      The first 60×30 Softball and Hardball Championships were held in 1923, sponsored by the GAA

      The first All Ireland 60×30 Softball and Hardball Championships were held in 1925

      The first modern 60×30 court was built in Croke Park for the World Championships in 1970 – the third handball World Championships (The first 40×20 court was built in Ireland in 1969)

      The underhand stroke is considered to be more effective, as the underhand stroke provides more power to move the ball around the 60×30 alley

      Participation in 60×30 Hardball declined with the burgeoning popularity of 40×20 and 1-Wall, but interest in the game has been revived in recent years with the staging of an International Rules match on an annual basis between the Basque Country and the top Hardball players from Ireland – Basque Handball explained on the WPH Sunday Stats HERE

      2016 All Ireland GAA Men’s 60×30 Singles Final HERE

Information gathered from HERE and HERE

Race 4 Eight Achievements

      Combining R48, WR48, and SR48, the Race 4 Eight tour has hosted 127 events (not including R48 Pre Qualifiers)

      The R48 Men’s Pro has held 75 events since the first event in October of 2011

      The Race 4 Eight kicked off at the Plummer Family Bash in Coeur d’Alene, ID in October of 2011

      17 states have held Race 4 Eight events

      36 of the last 51 Race 4 Eight events have appeared on ESPN3, starting with the 2014 Simple Green U.S. Open

      The Race 4 Eight averages 14 hours of coverage per weekend on ESPN3, not including ESPN3 replays

1-Wall History

According to Britannica HERE, 1-Wall Handball was developed in New York City in 1913, and was eventually played by men and women in the eastern U.S. 1-Wallis considered to be a forerunner of the 3-Wall game, as some of the 1-Wall courts were built with a hinged triangular wing, which swung out and locked into position along the two sidelines, forming a partial 3-Wall court.

 

TIMELINE HERE states that the single wall style (1-Wall) was first developed by Coney Island beach-goers who used their bare hands to slap old tennis balls against wooden jetties lining the shore. In the 1930’s FDR’s Works Progress Administration built hundreds of 1-Wall courts across New York City, with more than 2,000 1-Wall courts standing across the five boroughs in New York City.

 

2022/23 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post the 2023 Player’s Championship

• Lucho won his first Player’s Cup for finishing the 2022/23 season ranked #1 – Lucho became the fifth Player’s Cup champion in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour (Moreno, Shanks, Brady, Carroll, Lucho)
• Catriona Casey won her twenty-fifth WR48 title and ninth consecutive WR48 Player’s Cup and Player’s Championship at the 2023 WR48 Player’s Championship – Catriona is the only WR48 pro to have won the Player’s Cup or the Player’s Championship
• Leo Canales, Jr. advanced to his first R48 final at the 2023 R48 Player’s Championship, becoming the nineteenth different R48 finalist in the history of the tour
• Paul Brady advanced to the final of the 2023 SR48 Player’s Championship in his first SR48 start – Brady could not play in the final due to an injured finger
• Fiona Tully advanced to her fourth WR48 final at the 2023 Player’s Championship – Fiona has not won a WR48 title, yet
• After advancing to his first R48 final at the 2023 RFC R48LTE, Max Langmack finished thirteenth at the 2023 R48 Player’s Championship
• Killian Carroll and Sean Lenning both played in four of the ten events on the 2022/23 R48 schedule but both finished inside the year-end R48 Elite 8: Carroll (#4), Lenning (#8)
• WR48 rookie Eilise McCrory finished the 2022/23 WR48 season ranked #3, earning 2022/23 WR48 Rookie of the Year and 2022/23 WR48 Breakout Performer of the Year
• Max Langmack was the only player to advance to the final of a R48 final during the season and not finish the season inside of the Elite 8
• There were seven different R48 finalists during the 2022/23 season: Lucho, Mulkerrins, Fink, Carroll, Lenning, Langmack, Canales
• There were four different WR48 finalists during the 2022/23 season: (Casey, Tully, Tuohey, Munroe)
• There were three different SR48 finalists during the 2022/23 season: (Fink, Mehilos, Brady)

 

Examining the Three Champions on the 2022/23 R48 Men’s Pro Tour

Lucho Cordova

5 Wins

10 starts

Season Record: 32-5

Winning percentage: 86%

Finishes by event: 2^nd, 1^st, 1^st , 2^nd, 3^rd , 1^st , 1^st , 1^st , 3^rd , 3^rd  

Won 5 of 7 events in which courts had one or zero glass back walls

Lost all three starts on courts with two-glass walls. “I actually feel like glass walls are my worst enemy,” stated Lucho. “I think I need glasses.”

Strength of Field in 5 Wins

Memorial Win: 10 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

R48 Icebreaker Win: 8 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

Houston Win: 10 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

Juarez Win: 8 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

Hall of Fame Win: 8 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

Martin Mulkerrins

3 Wins

9 starts

Season Record: 26-6

Winning percentage: 81%

Finishes by event: 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd , 1^st, , 2^nd , 3^rd , 5^th , 1^st , 7^th

Won 2 of his 3 starts on courts with two-glass walls

Lost 5 of his 6 starts with courts with one or no glass walls

Strength of Field in 3 Wins

Portland Classic Win: 5 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

New Orleans Win: 9 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

RFC Win: 5 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

Killian Carroll

2 Wins

4 Starts

Season Record: 14-2

Winning percentage: 88%

Finishes by event: 3^rd , 1^st , 2^nd , 1^st

Won his only start on a court with two-glass walls

Strength of Field in 2 Wins

Montana Win: 9 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

Salt Lake City Win: 10 of the top 10 ranked pros entered

 

Analyzing Catriona Casey’s 2022/23 WR48 Season

• 8 matches
• 8-0 record
• Outscored her three opponents at the 2022 Memorial by a combined 90-23
• Outscored her two opponents at the 2023 Houston by a combined 60-16
• Outscored her three opponents at the 2023 Aces Player’s Championship by a combined 90-22
• Outscored her eight opponents during the season by a combined 240-61 (80%)
• Closest game: vs. Eilise McCrory at the 2022 Memorial (15-10)
• Most lopsided game: 15-0 (twice)

Analyzing Casey’s 2013-2023 WR48 Career

• First start: 2013 Simple Green U.S. Open (win)
• 27 starts overall
• 25 titles in 27 starts
• 81-2 career match record
• 7 undefeated seasons
• 9 consecutive WR48 Player’s Cups for year-end number one
• Never lost before the final in any of her WR48 starts
• Miles traveled to compete on the WR48 tour: 243,000

 

2022/23 R48 XI Season Win/Loss Records and Finishes of the R48 Elite Post 2023 Aces Player’s Championship

• Lucho (10 events): 32-5, 2^nd, 1^st, 1^st , 2^nd, 3^rd , 1^st , 1^st , 1^st , 3^rd , 3^rd
• Mulkerrins (9 events): 26-6, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd , 1^st, , 2^nd , 3^rd , 5^th , 1^st , 7^th
• Canales, Jr. (8 events): 20-10, 3^rd, 5^th , 3^rd , 5^th , 5^th , 6^th , 6^th , 2^nd
• Carroll (4 events): 14-2, 3^rd , 1^st , 2^nd , 1^st
• Fink (10 events): 20-10, 3^rd, 5^th, 2^nd , 13^th , 7^th , 3^rd , 3^rd , 3^rd , 3^rd , 9^th
• Danos (8 events): 16-10, 3^rd, 13^th, 3^rd , 5^th , 6^th , 3^rd , 3^rd , 7^th
• Ruiz (7 events): 12-12, 6^th, 6^th , 7^th , 3^rd , 7^th , 13^th , 11^th
• Lenning (4 events): 11-4, 13^th, 2^nd , 2^nd , 3^rd

 

Points Won/Lost + Games Lost for all 2022/23 Race 4 Eight Champions by Event

Portland Classic R48LTE

• Martin Mulkerrins: 132-55 (71%) – one game lost

Tucson Memorial R48, WR48, SR48

• Lucho Cordova: 145-40 (78%)
• Catriona Casey: 90-23 (80%)
• David Fink: 103-22 (83%) – one game lost

R48 Icebreaker

• Lucho Cordova: 168-71 (70%)

New Orleans R48 and WR48LTE

• Martin Mulkerrins: 120-36 (77%)
• Aimee Tuohey: 60-27 (69%)

Montana R48 Red Death

• Killian Carroll: 128-73 (64%) – one game lost

Houston R48 and WR48

• Lucho Cordova: 126-82 (61%) – one game lost
• Catriona Casey: 60-16 (79%)

       Juarez R48LTE

• Lucho Cordova: 130-59 (69%) – one game lost

Hall of Fame R48LTE

• Lucho Cordova: 143-90 (61%) – two games lost

RFC R48LTE and SR48

• Martin Mulkerrins: 90-32 (74%) – no games lost
• David Fink: 60-9 (87%)

Player’s Championship R48, WR48, and SR48

• Killian Carroll: 131-82 (62%)
• Catriona Casey: 90-20 (82%)
• David Fink: 30-9 (77%)

 

Digging Inside the Points Won/Lost + Games Lost

• There were seventeen Race 4 Eight champions during the ten seven events of the 2022/23 season
• Five players have won the eleven 2022/23 Race 4 Eight titles thus far:

R48

Lucho (5)

Mulkerrins (3)

Carroll (2)

WR48:

Casey (3)

Tuohey (1)

SR48:

Fink (3)

• Of the seventeen Race 4 Eight champions during the 2022/23 season, six have dropped a game in either the semifinal or final of their championship run, one dropped a game in the quarterfinals and semifinals
• One of the seventeen Race 4 Eight champions through the Player’s Championship, one was pushed to more than one tiebreaker during their title runs (Lucho, two, Hall of Fame LTE)
• Lucho (78% Memorial), Casey (80% Memorial), and Fink (87%) won the highest percentage of points in their R48, WR48, and SR48 title runs thus far this season

 

2022/23 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post the April 2023 Race 4 Eight RFC

• Max Langmack advanced to his first Race 4 Eight final at the 2023 RFC R48LTE, becoming the eighteenth different finalist in 79 Race 4 Eight events and the first new R48 finalist since 2019 (Mulkerrins)
• David Fink won his tenth SR48 title at the 2023 RFC SR48, tying him with Marcos Chavez for the most SR48 titles in the history of the tour
• Max Langmack became the first player ranked outside of the top 4 to defeat R48 #1 Lucho Cordova this season (Mulkerrins, Carroll)
• The 2023 R48LTE was the first event of the season in which no quarterfinal, semifinal, or final matches went to a tiebreaker
• The New Sherriff in Town, Martin Mulkerrins, maintained law and order in his first trip to Pittsburgh, winning his third stop of the season and fifth overall in dominant fashion, winning all six games he played and outscoring his three opponents by a combined score of 90-32 (74%)
• Ray Ure earned his career-best R48 finish at the 2023 RFC, winning fifth by defeating Bill Mehilos in the fifth place final
• After losing to Ray Ure in the round of 16, Joe Delsardo overcame match point against Andrew Reiersen in the opening round of the ninth place playoffs and winning two more matches to finish ninth, his best finish in his four R48 starts
• New York’s Alvaro Rebaza finished fourth in his first SR48 start, toppling Kirk Rys in the opening round and losing to David Fink in the semifinals and Kyle English in the third place final
• R48 #15 Kyle English finished third in his first SR48 start and moved to #3 in the 2022/23 SR48 rankings
• Alexander’s played host to its first Race 4 Eight event, serving as an outstanding host to the R48 and SR48 pros at the 2023 RFC
• Bill Mehilos and Kyle English became just the second pair to play one another twice in the same event (Fink/Chavez, 2018 Vegas), with Mehilos winning both encounters – semifinals of the SR48 and fifth place first round in the R48LTE (Fink also defeated Chavez in the R48 and SR48 in Vegas ’18)
• Killian Carroll has won the last four R48 Player’s Cups (year-end #1) but has been mathematically eliminated from winning the Player’s Cup in 2023 – either Lucho Cordova or Martin Mulkerrins will win the Player’s Cup for the first time at the 2023 Aces Player’s Championship in Salt Lake City

 

2022/23 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post the April 2023 Race 4 Eight Hall of Fame

• Lucho Cordova won his fifth title of the 2022/23 season and ninth overall in winning the 2023 Hall of Fame Race 4 Eight LTE
• Sean Lenning appeared in his second consecutive final and twenty-third overall at the 2023 Hall of Fame Race 4 Eight LTE, losing in both finals to Lucho Cordova
• Ivan Burgos became the first R48 pro to lose consecutive back-to-back round of 16 matches by two points in tiebreakers since Shorty Ruiz in 2018 (Burgos lost to Cooney 13-15 in the third in Juarez, Burgos lost 15-17 to Esser at the Hall of Fame)
• Shorty Ruiz’s five-tournament quarterfinal or better streak ended at the 2023 Hall of Fame Race 4 Eight LTE – Ruiz had three match points against Mark Doyle in the round of 16 but could not convert
• The 2023 Hall of Fame Race 4 Eight LTE featured three matches round of 16 matches in which players served with match point at lost the match (19%) – Players have only come back from match point down in round of 16 matches 26 times in the eleven-year history of the tour (2%)
• Danos Cordova and Leo Canales played for the fourth time this season at the 2023 Hall of Fame Race 4 Eight LTE, with Danos tying their season-rivalry at two wins each
• R48 #2 Martin Mulkerrins failed to finish inside the top three for the first time in seven stops this season at the 2023 Hall of Fame Race 4 Eight LTE (fifth)
• The highest seeded player to lose in the round of 16 at the 2023 Hall of Fame Race 4 Eight LTE was sixth-seeded Shorty Ruiz – Ruiz lost to Mark Doyle, who advanced to the second quarterfinal of his career at the Tucson Hall of Fame LTE
• With nine Race 4 Eight titles, Lucho now sits fourth on the all-time Race 4 Eight Men’s Pro leaderboard (Carroll, Brady, Moreno)
• After making the quarterfinals in the first three stops of the 2022/23 season, R48 #8 Max Langmack has lost in the round of 16 in his last four starts
• Sam Esser started the 2022/23 season ranked fifth but skipped the season’s first event in Portland and finished 25^th and 11^th in his first two starts of this season – since his slow start, Esser has finished in the top seven in three of his last four starts and inside the top nine in all four starts, giving him an outside shot at finishing in the Elite 8 for the second consecutive season

 

2022/23 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post the April 2023 Race 4 Eight Juarez

• Lucho Cordova won his fourth title of the season on his home court at Club Campestre in Juarez, defeating Sean Lenning in the final
• Lucho and Lenning both entered the 2023 R48LTE Juarez final with seven R48 titles – Lucho has now won eight R48 titles, fourth most in history (Moreno, Brady, Carroll)
• Lucho and Lenning met for the second time in a Race 4 Eight final at the 2023 R48LTE Juarez – both finals were LTE’s (Portland 2019), Lucho won both finals
• Sean Lenning appeared in his first R48 final in Juarez since the 2019 Tucson Memorial
• Lenning entered Juarez ranked outside the top 15 and defeated two players in the top five to make the final (Canales, Fink)
• Club Campestre (Juarez) was the first R48 venue featuring red clay tennis courts, an 18-hole championship golf course, and Padel Tennis courts
• The pros had a 40-day break between the 2023 R48 Houston and the 2023 R48LTE Juarez – What did the pros do during their break – Find out HERE
• After finishing first, second, third, first, second, third in the first six stops of the season, Martin Mulkerrins skipped the R48LTE in Juarez
• The 2023 R48LTE Juarez was the first event held outside of the U.S. (Mexico)
• Ivan Burgos earned his second best finish of his R48 career in Juarez (2022 Memorial), winning ninth by defeating former professional Arena Football receiver Kyle English in the ninth place final
• Sam Esser snapped Leo Canales’s streak of seven consecutive playoff wins with an emphatic 25-8 win against Canales in the Juarez fifth place final, earning his best finish of the 2022/23 season
• Stephen Cooney sat two points from a round of 16 loss against Ivan Burgos in Juarez but rallied to score his best finish of the season (7^th)

 

2022/23 Race 4 Eight Fun Facts Post the February 2023 Race 4 Eight Houston

 

• Lucho Cordova won his third title of the season in Houston, toppling Killian Carroll in a three-game thriller
• Killian Carroll has now finished 3^rd, 1^st, and 2^nd in his three starts on the 2022/23 Race 4 Eight season
• Leo Canales, Jr. extended his R48 top 5 streak to five consecutive events with his fifth place finish in Houston (3^rd, 5^th, 3^rd, 5^th, 5^th)
• Shorty Ruiz has finished in the top seven of every stop he has entered this season (6^th, 6^th, 7^th, 3^rd, 7^th)
• After winning his first three tiebreakers of the season, Mulkerrins dropped his first decider in the Houston semifinals against Killian
• After winning her first WR48 title in New Orleans, Aimee Tuohey finished third in Houston
• Catriona Casey won her 24^th WR48 title in 26 WR48 starts, outscoring her Houston opponents by a combined score of 60-15
• Lucho outscored his four Houston opponents by a combined score of 126-69 (65%)

 

 

 

2022/23 Pre 2023 Houston Race 4 Eight Fun Facts

• Killian Carroll won his first title of the 2022/23 season and twenty-first overall at the 2023 R48 Red Death
• Carroll became the third R48 champion of the 2022/23 season (Lucho, Mulkerrins)
• Carroll has won every R48 Red Death event (2018, 2019, 2020, 2023)
• Carroll ended his two-match losing streak to Martin Mulkerrins in the 2023
  Red Death final – Mulkerrins is the only player to have defeated Killian Carroll since 2019
• After making the finals of the first four events of the 2022/23 R48 season, Lucho lost in the semifinals of the 2023 Red Death (Carroll)
• Shorty Ruiz advanced to his first full Race 4 Eight 4-Wall semifinal at the 2023 Red Death
• With his fifth-place finish at the 2023 Red Death, Leo Canales has finished in the top five of all four of his 2022/23 R48 starts (3^rd, 5^th, 3^rd, 5^th)
• 19-year-old Mark Doyle notched his best career R48 finish at the 2023 Red Death (6^th)
• Martin Mulkerrins won his third R48 title in his last four starts and fourth overall R48 title on his thirtieth birthday at the 2023 R48 New Orleans Mardi Gras
• Aimee Tuohey won the first WR48 LTE in WR48 history at the 2023 WR48 LTE Mardi Gras – Tuohey became the fifth different player to win a WR48 title (Casey, Reilly, McMahon, Daskalakis)
• Only Catriona Casey has won more than one WR48 event (23)
• Martin Mulkerrins outscored his four Mardi Gras opponents by a combined score of 120-32: 79%, which was 1% better than Lucho’s mark at the 2022 R48 Memorial
• Lucho Cordova’s 12-match, two-tournament R48 winning streak ended with his finals loss to Martin Mulkerrins in the 2023 R48 Mardi Gras final – Lucho’s 11-match, two-tournament R48 Mardi Gras streak also ended with his loss to Mulkerrins
• Martin Mulkerrins is 3-0 in tiebreakers through four events on the 2022/23 R48 tour (def Danos in Portland, def Killian at the Memorial, def Shorty at the Icebreaker – all tiebreakers)
• Martin Mulkerrins leads Lucho Cordova 2-1 in their head-to-head matchups on the 2022/23 R48 tour (all finals). Mulkerrins has outscored Lucho 75-55 in those three matches (58%)
• There have been four different finalists in the first five R48 events on the 2022/23 R48 tour: Lucho (4), Mulkerrins (3), Fink (1), Carroll (1)
• The Mardi Gras hosts served the best fried catfish and gumbo in the history of the R48 tour at Saturday’s 2023 Mardi Gras lunch
• Killian Carroll’s record streak of 2,451 days ranked #1 on the R48 tour ended on December 11, 2022 when Lucho Cordova took over the top spot for the first time (March 26, 2017 – December 11, 2022) *605 of the 2,451 days were during the pandemic, meaning Carroll’s official #1 streak lasted 1,846 days
• Lucho Cordova became the ninth player to be ranked #1 on the R48 Men’s Pro tour (Chapman, Lenning, Moreno, Shanks, Brady, Ortiz, Carroll, Fink, Lucho)
• With his sixth R48 title at the R48 Icebreaker in December of 2022, Lucho has won the fifth most titles of any player in R48 Men’s Pro history (Carroll, Brady, Moreno, Lenning, Lucho)
• In winning the 2022 R48 Icebreaker, Lucho Cordova became just the fourth R48 Men’s Pro to win back-to-back R48 titles (Moreno, Brady, Carroll)
• In the first three starts of the 2022/23 R48 season, Lucho has appeared in all three finals (Portland, Tucson, Tucson) and won two titles (consecutively)
• Killian Carroll has played in just one of the first three R48 events of the 2022/23 season, finishing tied third at the 2022 R48 Memorial
• Lucho Cordova has advanced to the final of both R48 Icebreakers, coming in second in 2021 and winning and 2022
• After winning the 2022 R48 Icebreaker, Lucho Cordova has now won six R48 titles
• Leo Canales, Jr. came within one point of advancing to his second consecutive R48 semifinal at the R48 Icebreaker, losing to Danos Cordova 11-10 in the tiebreaker in the quarterfinal – Leo defeated Danos in a quarterfinals rematch in the next event in New Orleans, in a tiebreaker
• Canales, Jr. became the first player to lose a main draw match after holding match point since David Fink lost to Vic Perez 16-14 in the tiebreaker in the quarterfinals of the 2020 R48 Red Death in Montana (1,050 days) – Fink added his name that the list again at the next event in New Orleans, holding four match points in a loss to Mark Doyle
• After finishing tied 13^th at the 2022 R48 Memorial and reinjuring his foot, Danos Cordova bounced back with a semifinal finish at the 2022 R48 Icebreaker
• Martin Mulkerrins advanced to the semifinals of his first R48 Icebreaker at the 2022 R48 Icebreaker
• David Fink became the oldest pro stop finalist in handball history at the 2022 R48 Icebreaker (45 years, 4 months) in advancing to his sixth R48 final
• Lucho Cordova won his first Memorial and fifth R48 title at the 2022 R48 Memorial, outscoring his five opponents by a combined score of 145-40 (78%), one of the most dominant R48 performances in the 72-event history of the tour
• Catriona Casey won her twenty-third WR48 event in twenty-five WR48 starts, outscoring her three opponents by a combined score of 90-23 (80%)
• David Fink won his ninth SR48 title in ten SR48 starts and second in a tiebreaker against Bill Mehilos at the 2022 Tucson Memorial
• Eilise McCrory became just the fourth WR48 star to score ten points in a game first against Catriona Casey (Reilly, Ni Churraoin, McMahon) in the semifinals of the 2022 Memorial
• In between winning the November 2022 R48 Memorial and December 2022 R48 Icebreaker, Lucho Cordova won a 16-team Padel Tennis doubles tournament in Mexico
• After winning the 2022 Memorial and 2022 Icebreaker and advancing to the final of the 2023 Mardi Gras, Lucho Cordova held the longest winning streak on the 2022/23 R48 season (12 matches)
• Catriona Casey holds the longest current winning streak on the Race 4 Eight (R48, WR48, SR48) with 35 consecutive match wins and 11 straight WR48 tournament wins
• Leo Canales, Sr. (56) became the oldest SR48 semifinalist in history at the 2022 Memorial
• Leo Canales, Jr. advanced to his third R48 semifinal at the 2022 Memorial (2019 Memorial, 2021 R48 Icebreaker)
• Loren Collado’s two-tournament R48 top 7 streak (2022 Player’s Championship, 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic) ended at the 2022 Memorial (11^th)
• Shorty Ruiz finished sixth in three consecutive R48 starts (2022 Player’s Championship, 2022 Memorial, 2022 R48 Icebreaker) – Ruiz’s streak of sixth place finishes ended in New Orleans with a seventh place finish
• In winning fifth place at the 2022 R48 Memorial, David Fink has won the fifth place playoffs a record 14 times and currently owns an 11-match playoff winning streak dating back to the 2019 Memorial
• Dylan Hernandez won five of his six matches (only loss to Carroll) at the 2022 Tucson Memorial to finish ninth, his best career R48 finish – Hernandez finished tenth in his previous R48 start at the 2022 Aces Player’s Championship
• Max Langmack enjoyed a four-tournament streak of top seven finishes: 2022 Player’s Championship: 5^th, 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic: 5^th, 2022 Memorial, 7^th, 2022 R48 Icebreaker, 7^th
• Martin Mulkerrins won his third Race 4 Eight event in 13 starts at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic – the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic was also Martin’s second consecutive R48 win (2022 Aces R48 Player’s Championship) and eighth consecutive R48 match win – Mulkerrins won his fourth R48 title at the 2023 Mardi Gras in January
• Kyle English (OR) became the first former professional football player to finish in the top eight of a Race 4 Eight event at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic – Kinglish took MVP honors at the 2022 Memorial by finishing 17^th
• David Fink picked up his 137^th Race 4 Eight match win (most in history) with his semifinal win against Martin Mulkerrins at the 2022 R48 Icebreaker
• Max Langmack matched his best career R48 finish at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic – Langmack defeated Loren Collado to finish fifth
• Danos Cordova was the only player to win a game (semifinals) against Martin Mulkerrins at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic – the only players to win games against Mulkerrins during his eight-match winning streak are Carroll and Danos
• Jab Bike joined his hall of fame father John Bike, Jr. and future hall of fame uncle Naty Alvarado, Jr. as match winners on the Race 4 Eight tour at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic – no Bike or Alvarado has won a Race title….yet
• To ensure competitive balance and eliminate vanity entries into pro brackets, the WPH instituted entry rules into Race 4 Eight pro draws – the WPH policy to enter a pro event is: former or current ranked player, former or current qualifier, won a state or national championship in the Open bracket and are stepping up/progressing, all others must check in with WPH Directors for approval
• Lucho Cordova advanced to his thirteenth Race 4 Eight final at the 2023 R48 Mardi Gras
• Loren Collado earned his highest career R48 finish at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic (sixth), meaning his two best career R48 finishes have come in his last two R48 starts (seventh at the 2022 Aces R48 Player’s Championship)
• By hosting the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic, Oregon has hosted the sixth most Race 4 Eight events of any city (4)
• Jab Bike brought the most fans (8) to the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic, accounting for 67% of the fans at the event
• After playing in every Race 4 Eight Men’s Pro event during the 2021/22 R48 X season, ironmen Sam Esser (Handballesta slam), Leo Canales, Jr. (Phoenix Mercury WNBA home game), and Shorty Ruiz (Rocky Point, MEX round table vacation) skipped the R48 XI’s first event at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic
• ESPN play-by-play announcer, WPH photographer and professional comedian Dave Vincent announced ten matches and posted 267 pictures at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic
• Naty Alvarado, Jr. was the R48’s highest-ranked former player (#2) in the gallery at the 2022 R48LTE Portland Classic
• Following the 2022 SR48 Memorial, Marcos Chavez holds the record for most SR48 titles (10), David Fink (9) sits one behind Chavez
• ESPN’s Race 4 Eight lead interviewer and on-court correspondent Kara Mack

has interviewed Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, The Rock, Steve Carrell, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Owen Wilson, Hugh Jackman, John Travolta, Matthew McConaughey, Meg Ryan, Kate Hudson, Charlize Theron, Robert De Niro, Isla Fisher, Drew Barrymore, Mark Walberg, Scarlett Johansson, Sigourney Weaver, Vince Vaughn, Jaime Lee Curtis, Sean Penn, Elizabeth Shue, Kurt Russell, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Reese Witherspoon and dozens of more A listers #thebestinthebusiness #B-listersneednotapply

• WPH ESPN broadcast engineer/quarterback Kris Gurrad has won three Emmy awards for his work in the Northwest Chapter
• WPH camera operator Che Lowenstein has been nominated for three Emmy’s and has won one, in addition to winning awards from National Press Photographers Association, Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists and a 3rd place CLIO. Che’s most exciting moment was creating the Portland Timbers (soccer) championship documentary called The Magic Was Real. The film debuted in a local theater with a packed house, who gave it a great response
• Since the inception of the Race 4 Eight tour in 2011, the WPH has furnished $2.27 million in prize money, incentive money, and entry fee money for the R48, WR48, and SR48 pros, which does not include broadcasting fees

 

2021/22 Race 4 Eight X Fun Facts

 

Finishes of the 15 Race 4 Eight X Quarterfinalists through the 2021-2022 R48 Season

• Carroll: 6 starts (1^st, 1^st, 1^st, 1^st,. 1^st, 2^nd)
• Cordova: 5 starts (2^nd, 2^nd, 3^rd, 3^rd, 2^nd 3rd)
• Fink: 5 starts (5^th, 1^st, 3^rd , 3^rd ,9^th)
• Cordova: 6 starts (3^rd, 3^rd, 2^nd, 7^th, 3^rd ,5^th)
• Canales, Jr.: 7 starts (7^th, 5^th, 3^rd, 7^th, 7^th , 6^th ,13^th)
• Esser: 7 starts (7^th, 9^th, 6^th, 5^th, 5^th, 5^th 13^th)
• Ruiz: 7 starts (9^th, 5^th, 3^rd, 17^th, 10^th, 7^th, 6^th)
• Cooney: 5 starts (6^th, 5^th, 3^rd, 17^th 11^th)
• Montijo: 6 starts (10^th, 9^th, 7^th, 6^th, 9^th, 7^th)
• Langmack: 7 starts (11^th, 9^th, 5^th, 9^th, 7^th, 9^th 7^th)
• Lenning: 3 starts (3^rd, 5^th 3^rd)
• Brady: 1 start (2^nd)
• Mulkerrins: 2 starts (3^rd, 1^st)
• Bernhard: 2 starts (6^th, 11^th)
• Mehilos: 6 starts (9^th, 10^th, 7^th, 13^th, 11^th 17^th)

*The R48 Stop #2/USHA Four Wall Nationals did not have a 5^th place or 9^th place playoff, meaning the quarterfinals losers were given a 5^th place finish and the round of 16 losers were given a 9^th place finish for their average finish

 

 

2021/22 Race 4 Eight Breakthroughs: all players listed achieving their career-best Race 4 Eight finishes during the 2021/22 season

Fink: Best previous finish: 2^nd, best 2021/22 finish: 1^st

Ruiz: Best previous finish, 7^th, best 2021/22 finish: 3^rd

Langmack: Best previous finish: 10^th, best 2021/22 finish: 5^th

Bernhard: Best previous finish: 11^th, best 2021/22 finish: 6^th

Esser: Best previous finish: 13^th, best 2021/22 finish: 5^th

Esser: Best previous finish: n/a, best 2021/22 finish: 3^rd

Daskalakis: Best previous finish: 3^rd, best 2021/22 finish: 1^st

Moler: Best previous finish: 6^th, best 2021/22 finish: 2^nd

Tully: Best previous finish: 3^rd, best 2021/22 finish: 2^nd

Mehilos (R48): Best previous finish: n/a, best 2021/22 finish: 7^th

Mehilos (SR48): Best previous finish: 4^th, best 2021/22 finish: 2^nd

 

R48 X Win/Loss Records of the 15 2021/22 R48 X quarterfinalists

Carroll: 24-1, 6 events

Cordova: 15-6, 6 events

Cordova: 13-7, 6 events

Fink: 15-4, 5 events

Canales, Jr.: 11-12, 7 events

Esser: 13-9, 7 events

Ruiz: 15-10, 7 events

Cooney: 7-8, 5 events

Montijo: 12-10, 6 events

Langmack: 16-10, 7 events

Mehilos: 9-9, 6 events

Lenning: 5-3, 3 events

Brady: 3-1, 1 event

Mulkerrins: 6-1, 2 events

Bernhard: 5-4, 2 events

 

2021/22 WR48 Elite Records

Casey: 6-0, 2 events

Daskalakis: 6-1, 2 events

Tully: 4-2, 2 events

Tuohey: 4-3, 2 events

Moler: 5-5, 3 events

Esser: 5-3, 3 events

McMahon: 3-1, 1 event

More 2021/22 Fun Facts

• The 2022 R48 X Player’s Championship was the 70^th R48 Pro event since the inception of the tour in 2011
• The 2021/22 Race 4 Eight X featured seven R48 Men’s Pro events, three WR48 events, and one SR48 event, with 246 pro players competing in the eleven combined R48 Men’s Pro (206 players), WR48 (32 players), and SR48 (8 players) events.
• The only players to finish in the top three in all of their R48 Men’s Pro starts during the 2021/22 season were Carroll (6), Lucho (6), Mulkerrins (2), Brady (1)
• The only players on the 2021/22 Race 4 Eight with less total losses than total starts were Carroll (1 loss, 6 starts), Mulkerrins (1 loss, 2 starts), Fink (4 losses, 5 starts), Casey (0 losses, 2 starts)
• Catriona Casey was the only player to be outscored on the 2021/22 Race 4 Eight and still win the match (32-36 in the 2022 WR48 Player’s Championship final vs. McMahon)
• The only players to play in all three WR48 events during the 2022/23 season were Ashley Moler, Mikaila Esser, and Kristen Hughes
• Martin Mulkerrins outscored his four main draw opponents 132-62 (68%) en route to winning the 2022 R48 Player’s Championship – including Martin’s two qualifiers matches at the 2022 R48 Player’s Championship, Martin outscored his six opponents 182-71 (72%)
• There were no players that earned ranking points in all seven 2021/22 R48 Men’s Pro events (Carroll – 6, Lucho – 6, Danos – 6, Canales – 6, Ruiz – 6)
• There were no players that earned ranking points in the three 2021/22 WR48 events (Casey, Daskalakis, Tully, Tuohey, and Moler all earned ranking points in two of three events)
• Sean Lenning played in his first Race 4 Eight qualifier at the 2022 R48 Player’s Championship after being an invited Elite 8 player in his first 59 Race 4 Eight starts – Lenning had not entered a qualifier in more than 20 years prior to the 2022 R48 Player’s Championship
• After failing to make a semifinal in his first six years of play on the R48 tour, Martin Mulkerrins has finished in the top three of his last five R48 starts (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 1^st, 1^st)
• In 30 main draw matches on the 2021/22 WR48, two went to tiebreakers (7%): Tully def Tuohey in Houston, Casey def McMahon in Salt Lake City
• In seven main draw matches on the 2021/22 SR48, one went to a tiebreaker (14%): Garcia def Hammond in Salt Lake City
• In the seven stops on the R48 X, there were three different champions: Carroll (5), Fink (1), Mulkerrins (1)
• The R48 X March Madness was the third R48 X event to be held at the Tucson Racquet Club (2021 R48 X Tucson Memorial, 2022 R48 X January Classic)
• The R48 X March Madness was the fourth R48 X event held in Tucson
• Two R48 X finalists were their 40’s: Fink (44), Brady (42)
• There were seven different R48 X finalists: Carroll (4), L. Cordova (3), Brady (1), Fink (1), D. Cordova (1), Nash (1), Mulkerrins (1)
• The 2022 January Classic featured R48 Men’s Pro players born in four countries: U.S., Mexico, Canada, Ireland
• The 2022 R48 X March Madness was the 13^th R48 event held in Tucson
• Tucson has the most glass-banging fans of any R48 locale (6) – the oldest Tucson glass banger is 82 and the youngest Tucson glass banger is two years old
• Killian Carroll’s 32-match, seven-tournament R48 winning streak was snapped by Martin Mulkerrins in the 2022 R48 Player’s Championship final
• Martin Mulkerrins holds the longest current winning streak on the R48 tour (8- consecutive titles in Salt Lake ’22 and Portland ’22)
• Bill Mehilos became the first player to play three straight David’s in three consecutive matches at the 2022 Houston R48 (David Walsh, David Fink, David Miller)
• Sam and Mikaila Esser and Shorty Ruiz and Ashley Moler became the first couples to play simultaneously in adjacent courts in the Race 4 Eight playoffs at the 2022 Houston Race 4 Eight: The Essers both won, Moler and Ruiz both lost
• Lucho Cordova received the only technical of the R48 X season in Houston – Lucho was also called for the most avoidable hinders on the R48 X season (5)
• Of the 15 matches played from the Round of 16 to the final at the 2021 Tucson Memorial, 2 of 15 went to a tiebreaker (13%) – Canales vs. Iglesias, Cooney vs. Ruiz (both Round of 16 matches)
• Of the 15 matches played from the Round of 16 to the final at the 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals/R48 10 Stop #2, four went to a tiebreaker (27%) – Cooney vs. Esser, Ruiz vs. Ure, Carroll vs. Mulkerrins, Carroll vs. Brady
• Of the 15 matches played from the Round of 16 to the final at the 2021 R48 Men’s Pro Icebreaker, 2 went to a tiebreaker (13%) – Montijo vs. Mehilos, Canales vs. Esser
• Out of 45 main draw (starting with the round of 16) R48 Men’s Pro matches in the first three stops of the season, 8 went to a tiebreaker (18%)
• Of the seven WR48 main draw matches at the 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals/WR48 Stop #1, 0 went to a tiebreaker

 

Top 8 2021 Tucson Memorial Point Differentials, Points Scored vs. Lost, Percentage of Points Won, Match Record

• 1^st: Carroll: +82, 150-68 (69%), 5-0
• 2^nd: Lucho: +37, 103-66 (61%), 3-1
• 3^rd: Danos: +32, 82-50 (62%), 2-1
• 3^rd: Lenning: +31, 79-48 (62%), 2-1
• 5^th: Fink: +48, 118-70 (63%), 4-1
• 6^th: Cooney: +7, 109-102 (52%), 3-2
• 7^th: Esser: -9, 78-87 (47%), 2-2
• 7^th: Canales: -11, 97-108 (47%). 2-2
• The 2021 Tucson Memorial R48 Top 8were born in three different countries: U.S. (5), Ireland (2), Mexico (1)
• The 2021 Tucson Memorial R48 Top 8 all reside in the U.S. in five different states: MA (Carroll), Lucho (TX), Danos (TX), Lenning (WA), Fink (AZ), Cooney (CA), Canales (TX), Esser (AZ)

 

2021/22 R48 Kansas/Missouri Breakthrough

• Esser (formerly from KS): first quarterfinal appearance on the Race 4 Eight (finished seventh at the, 2021 Tucson Memorial and seventh at the R48 X Holiday Icebreaker, fifth at the 2022 January Classic, fifth at the 2022 Race 4 Eight Houston, fifth at the R48 X March Madness
• Langmack (KS): first quarterfinal appearance on the Race 4 Eight (finished fifth at the R48 X Holiday Icebreaker, first 4-Wall R48 quarterfinal finish at the 2022 Houston R48 (finished 7^th)
• Mikaila Esser advanced to her first WR48 semifinal at the 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals/WR48 Stop #1

 

R48 Stats

2017/18 R48 Match Analytics

Game averages tallied in games to 15. Game to 25 were included by dividing the totals by 1.7

 

Player: Killian Carroll

Kills/game: 8.8

Aces/game: 2.5

Passes/game: 2

Errors/game: 4.8

 

Player: Sean Lenning

Kills/game: 9.1

Aces/game: 2.3

Passes/game: 3.3

Errors/game: 6.1

 

Player: Mando Ortiz

Kills/game: 7.5

Aces/game: 1.4

Passes/game: 2.7

Errors/game: 6.5

 

Player: Daniel Cordova

Kills/game: 7

Aces/game: 1.8

Passes/game: 4.4

Errors/game: 5.2

 

Player: David Fink

Kills/game: 10.8

Aces/game: 0.8

Passes/game: 2.3

Errors/game: 5

 

Player: Luis Cordova

Kills/game: 5.3

Aces/game: 0.7

Passes/game: 2

Errors/game: 6.3

Player: Emmett Peixoto

Kills/game: 6.3

Aces/game: 0.3

Passes/game: 5

Errors/game: 6

 

Player: Vic Perez

Kills/game: 8.3

Aces/game: 1.2

Passes/game: 2

Errors/game: 5.2

 

Inside the Numbers

Elite 8 Men’s Pro Kill average/game to 15: 7.9

Elite 8 Men’s Pro Ace Serve average/game to 15: 1.4

Elite 8 Men’s Pro Pass Shot average/game to 15: 3

Elite 8 Men’s Pro Error average/game to 15: 5.6

 

Most average kill shots per game: Fink (10.8)

Most average ace serves per game: Carroll (2.5)

Most average pass shots per game: Peixoto (5)

Most average errors per game: Ortiz (6.5)

 

Most kill shots in one game: Fink (19) vs. Perez

Most ace serves in one game: Carroll (6) vs. Ortiz

Most pass shots in one game: D. Cordova (7) vs. Ruiz

Most errors in one game: M. Ortiz (14) vs. D. Cordova

 

R48 number’s 1-4 ranked pros average ace serves per game: 2

R48 number’s 5-8 ranked pros average ace serves per game: 0.95

 

2017/18 WR48 Match Analytics

Player: Catriona Casey

(match vs. Martina McMahon at ’17 WR48 Memorial)

Kills/game: 4.7

Aces/game: 0.3

Passes/game: 2.3

Errors/game:  10.3

 

Player: Martina McMahon

(match vs. Catriona Casey at the ’17 WR48 Memorial)

Kills/game: 6.7

Aces/game: 1.3

Passes/game: 2.7

Errors/game: 9.7

 

Player: Aimee Tuohey

(averages vs. Courtney Peixoto de Melo at the ’18 WR48 Player’s Championship and vs. Ashley Moler at the ’18 WR48 Las Vegas)

Kills/game: 7.7

Aces/game:  0.7

Passes/game: 4

Errors/game: 6.3

 

Player: Courtney Peixoto

(averages vs. Tracy Davis at the ’18 WR48 Las Vegas and vs. Aimee Tuohey at the ’18 WR48 Player’s Championship)

Kills/game: 2

Aces/game: 0.5

Passes/game: 6

Errors/game: 8.6

 

Player: Tracy Davis

(vs. Courtney Peixoto de Melo at the ’18 WR48 Las Vegas)

Kills/game: 2.5

Aces/game: 1

Passes/game: 7.5

Errors/game: 9

 

Player: Ashley Moler

(vs. Aimee Tuohey at the ’18 WR48 Las Vegas)

Kills/game: 4

Aces/game: 0

Passes/game: 2

Errors/game: 15

 

Kills=ball bounces twice in front of returner before he/she touches the ball

Aces= returner does not get his/her hand on the ball before the ball bounces twice

Passes: ball goes behind the returner and he/she does not touch the ball before the ball bounces twice

Errors: any ball that hits a player’s hand that does not make the front wall (diving, on the run not included)

 

Catriona Casey 12-Tournament WR48 Winning Streak (February 2018-February 2023)

• When Catriona hit her first serve in the 2022 Houston WR48, it had been 734 days since she last competed on the WR48 tour (last start/win: New Orleans, February 16, 2020)
• Catriona entered the 2022 WR48 Player’s Championship having just won the 2022 GAA She’s Ace, 2022 GAA Irish Nationals, 2022 Houston WR48, and the 2022 All Ireland 40×20 Championship
• Catriona finished number one in every completed WR48 season (2014-2022)
• Catriona has won every WR48 Player’s Championship (7) ever held (2014-2022)
• In 26 Women’s R48 starts following the 2023 Houston WR48, Catriona Casey owns a 78-2 match record (98%)
• In the 24 WR48 events Catriona Casey has won, Casey won 145 out of 150 games played (97%)
• Catriona Casey is the only player in Race 4 Eight history to have started a Race 4 Eight event and never lost before the finals, having appeared in every WR48 final in which she has entered (24-2 in 26 WR48 finals)
• Catriona Casey became the first women’s player in the history of handball to defeat a current men’s pro in tournament play at the NYAC ’18 – Casey defeated then R48 #22 Loren Collado 25-19 in the 17^thplace playoffs
• Catriona has traveled more than 220,000 miles to compete on the WR48 tour in her 26 WR48 starts  

Killian Carroll 42-Match, 9-Tournament Winning Streak (November 3, 2019-April 10, 2022)

• 42 straight WPH pro singles wins
• 10 consecutive WPH pro singles titles
• 888 days between WPH pro singles loss (November 3, 2019-April 8, 2022)
• 83-6 in games won/lost during 42-match streak
• 7 consecutive R48 (4-Wall) titles
• 3 consecutive WPH Icebreaker titles (undefeated in Icebreaker career)

Danielle Daskalakis 9-Match, 3-Tournament Winning Streak (August 16, 2021-April 9, 2022)

• 9 consecutive WPH pro singles wins
• 3 consecutive titles (2021 Ice Bowl, 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals, 2022 January Classic)
• 18-3 in games won/lost (86%) in 9-match streak
• 3-0 in tiebreakers
• 368-212 points won/lost (63%) during 9-match streak
• First American player to win a WR48 event
• Daskalakis is the only Race 4 Eight champion to have also won the 1-Wall small ball and big ball singles national titles, the 3-Wall singles national title, and the 4-Wall national title.
• During her 9-match WPH winning streak, Daskalakis was the current 3-Wall national singles champion and the current 4-Wall national champion
• Danielle Daskalakis became the first American player to win a WR48 event in the 23^rd WR48 event held
• Daskalakis ended Casey’s 8-tournament WR48 win streak in Nashville (Casey did not start in Nashville)
• Daskalakis became the second left-handed player to win on the WR48 (McMahon), and third left-handed player to win on the three Race 4 Eight tours (McMahon, Fink)
• Daskalakis is the only Race 4 Eight champion to have also won the 1-Wall small ball and big ball singles national titles, the 3-Wall singles national title, and the 4-Wall national title. Wow!
• Danielle outscored her three opponents at the 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals/WR48 Stop #1 by a combined 126-60 (68%)

 

 

David Fink

WPH Senior Statistician