WEST ALLIS, Wisc. — On a cold Wisconsin December weekend, Killian Carroll maintained the edge that’s kept him at the top of the Pro rankings for the past three years.With the next R48Pro Stop #3 in Portland at the end of the month, the Milwaukee Classic made for an interesting preview.Carroll stormed through the Milwaukee Classic Open draw and defeated Luis Cordova Jr. by a score of 21-4 and 21-18.
Although Cordova pushed Carroll for a tiebreaker in the second game, the last rally of the match was a mere indicator of how Carroll mastered his opponents the entire weekend:A four-shot exchange that ended with Carroll passing a diving Cordova down the left wall for match point.
Milwaukee Classic Women’s Open Finalists Ni Churraoin and Hilary Rushe.
In the Women’s Open division, Ciana Ni Churraoin continued her “Revenge Tour” by defeating Hilary Rushe in the final, 21-6, 21-5.Ni Churraoin won the Women’s Collegiate title in 2016 and was a 2016 USHA National Four-Wall finalist before tearing her ACL in early 2017.As a graduate student now attending Minnesota State, Mankato, Ni Churraoin looked unstoppable all weekend.
In the Men’s Doubles, Sean Lenning and Vic Perez outlasted Daniel and Luis Cordova in an exciting final, 21-14, 12-21, 11-6.
“What makes The Classic so great is the players that continue to come every year and create a lot of camaraderie.” said Tournament Director Charlie Keller.
“The opportunity to watch the college kids each year and how much they improve over the years. Reminiscing about previous years is always interesting.”
The Milwaukee Handball Classic has become the region’s premier event hosted by the Wisconsin Athletic Club. The Classic enjoyed another fabulous turnout with nearly 200 players entered, including some of the country’s best handball talent with prize money awarded in both the Open Singles and Doubles events as well as the Women’s Open.
“This is outstanding!” Keller proclaimed. “Almost 80 collegiate players entered along with a few high school players. It’s great to see so many young kids playing and filling up the draws. Every division is full.”
Those college participants included a couple of new players from the nearby University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Congratulations to Jeff Werstein, Charlie Keller and the Milwaukee Classic crew who hosted another great event with tremendous hospitality!
See the 2018 Milwaukee Classic final results on the tournament’s r2sports page HERE.
PHOENIX — Carl Hayden High School was the site of a combined handball tournament and Mecha Car Show this weekend. Thirty-two players and nearly three dozen classic, souped up and low-rider cars were on campus to wow the fans.
This is the second year for the tournament which raises money for the high school handball club. The tourney is planned and managed by the Arizona State University handball team. The Sun Devils are happy to show their commitment to community service and mentoring young student-athletes through this fun event. High school players from Carl Hayden and Camelback participated along with a passel of local adult players.
“We’re lucky because it’s always great weather for outdoor handball,” quipped Hayden coach Chris Hogan. “Today was exceptional! A high of 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky — not even a gust of wind.”
Plenty of food was provided from breakfast through lunch and tournament close by Success4Kids.org and Valley Produce. Local patrons Don Stewart and Jim Reitmyer donated t-shirts. Many thanks to all for their generosity to our handball community.
The Open division was won by David Munoz over Jim Carkeek. David may have entered the tournament with a slight edge and perhaps as a sentimental favorite. Munoz had graduated from Carl Hayden High School years ago. “This is where it all started for me. It feels great to win this one on the courts where I first learned to play.”
(Top Left then Clockwise) Open Division: David Munoz def Jim Carkeek Blue A/B Division: Arturo ‘Magoo’ Diaz def Derek Doyle (ASU) Gold A/B Division: Pete Dominguez def David Frances (ASU) C/ D Division: Carlos Ortiz (CHHS) def Jason Leone (ASU)
Submitted by Dan Willeford, Arizona State University Handball Coach
The first Mardak Scholarships were awarded to six collegiate handball players who are teaching handball at their universities. (Clockwise from top left: Jasmine Richardson (University of Texas-Austin), David Frances (Arizona State University), Brooke Edwards (University of Texas-Austin), Esteban Camacho (Arizona State University), Jarod Jenson (Utah State University), Adrian Anderson (Minnesota State University, Mankato).
TUCSON — We strive to grow Handball and offer it to the next generation. The Mardak Scholarships and Community Challenge utilizes our growing ranks of collegiate handball players along with mentor programs to introduce more players to the game. The Community Challenge has matched funds to pay collegiate handball players to teach the game in their communities, and we’re proud to announce the first recipients of the Mardak Scholarships.
Mardak Scholarships are awarded to full-time college applicants who have taught handball through their community handball programs. All applicants are required to be USHA Certified Level 1 Instructors.
Six student-instructors received $2,000 scholarships though the Mardak Scholarship program: Jasmine Richardson and Brooke Edwards from Austin’s Lift up Kids program. David Frances and Esteban Camacho from Arizona State’s Homework & Handball program. Adrian Anderson through the Maverick Handball Club and Minnesota State, Mankato, and Jarod Jenson through the handball program at Utah State University.
It’s a truly exciting time to see growth in the sport throughout communities across the country!
TUCSON — The excitement and drama of the WPH R48Pro Tour was on full display for Sunday’s finals in The Tucson Memorial. Killian Carroll made his way back to another R48Pro final after falling in the semis in Atlanta. Sean Lenning was looking for some redemption as well after suffering the same fate: being bounced in the semis of that same tournament. Playing in front of a raucous home crowd at the Tucson Racquet Club, Lenning’s serve was zipping all over the court as he dominated Carroll in two games, winning the second R48Pro stop of the season, 15-10, 15-7.
Carroll found himself in an early hole, trailing 9-1, but he was able to close the gap with some heart-stopping gets and precision kills. But the day belonged to Lenning, as he kept Carroll guessing and off-guard with low drives to the right, and he ultimately slammed the door with a fortuitous right front corner kill.
Sunday’s final turned out to be that kind of a match for Lenning, while Carroll couldn’t catch a break. In the second game, and looking to force a third, Carroll was on the receiving end of an unfortunate bounce which hit his shoe, awarding the rally to Lenning. After that, the momentum was in Lenning’s favor, and he rolled to his first R48Pro victory of Season 8.
In ladies action, Catriona Casey (swinging above) faced a resurgent Ciana Ni Churraoin, but she was able to hold her late rally off for the victory, needing overtime in the second game to win, 15-7, 16-14.
In the Men’s R48SRPro final, David Fink stopped Marcos Chavez for the title, 15-2, 15-11.
If you missed any of this weekend’s action, you can watch the replay at WatchESPN.com or on the Watch ESPN App (iPhone or Android).
See the final results and scores on The Tucson Memorial’s R2sports site HERE.
The WPH put on another incredible show that carried some extra meaning. Players and fans from around the world trekked to Tucson for this $50K “no entry fee” event that paid tribute to our fallen handball friends. Read the WPH wrap-up and report HERE.
SATURDAY
Dave Fink tracks down a shot off the back wall in semifinal action against Killian Carroll.
Killian Carroll overcame a collision with the sidewall at 0-0 and a great performance by David Fink to earn a trip to Sunday’s final. After sliding into the wall at 0-0 after making a few great gets, Carroll won the first and was up 9-1 in the second before Fink made a great comeback to win the second. Carroll mounted another 9-1 lead in the third before Fink made another strong effort to get back into contention but Carroll closed it out for the win.
Between pro semifinals, Kara Mack explained the Memorial’s significance.
The WPH Qualifier Draw can make the preliminary rounds exciting and even unpredictable. Unpredictable was indeed the case on Friday, as many players qualified for the first time. In the top qualifier bracket, Richie Fernandez (Juarez, Mexico) toppled Marcos Chavez (Yorba Linda, CA), 25-21 while Tyler Stoffel (Mankato, MN), a collegiate All-American coming off a year of injuries, upended favorite Max Langmack (Springfield, MO), 25-12.
In a historic R48Pro first, father and son, Leo Canales Sr. and Leo Canales Jr. (El Paso, TX), qualified for the Pro Draw. They were joined by Stephen Cooney (Ireland), Loren Collado (Orinda, CA), Braulio Ruiz (Tucson) and Abraham Montijo (Tucson).
Richie Fernandez (background) waits for Daniel Cordova to track down a ball off the back wall in first round action in the WPH R48Pro Draw. Cordova advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Fernandez, 15-6, 15-3.
The Tucson Memorial and WPH R48Pro VIII Stop #2 boasts the top prize money purse of the year at $50K! While the exciting action of the WPH R48Pro Season 8 resumes at the Tucson Racquet Club, the event honors those in our community who have left us, but also celebrates their lives through the sport we love most.
Be sure to catch Sunday’s action! Watch LIVE coverage on WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN App See the WPH Schedule). Follow the draws on the tournament R2sports site HERE.
