Dunne sets up on a shot at the 2023 USHA Collegiate Nationals[/caption]

TUCSON, Ariz. –The 2023 USHA Collegiate Nationals wrapped up Sunday morning with Minnesota State’s Shane Dunne and University of Limerick’s Niamh Heffernan claiming the open titles. Each player played phenomenal all weekend, especially in their final matches.

Dunne matched up with Diarmuid Mulkerrins who was in the final for the third year in a row. Dunne and Mulkerrins played even in the beginning of game one, but Dunne was able to pull away late to win 21-13. The second game Dunne raced out to a 15-0 lead over Mulkerrins, and despite a late push, Dunne maintained his lead and won 21-3, 21-10.

Dunne fought through a brutal draw to win his title. Before defeating the number one seeded Mulkerrins in the final, he defeated three seed Conor Walsh in the quarterfinals, and two seed Ray Ure in the semifinals. Dunne is in tremendous shape, and has great hands. His consistency and his commitment to playing percentage handball made the difference for him this week.

You can watch a replay of the men’s final on our YouTube Channel HERE.

Dunne teamed with teammate Mark Doyle to win the men’s open doubles division.

Niamh Heffernan was very strong in her run through the women’s open division. She didn’t lose a single game along the way, and saved her best match for last in her final against Minnesota State’s Clodagh Munroe. The highly anticipated finals match was dominated by Heffernan from the beginning. Heffernan is a steady player who rarely makes a mistake. She generates tremendous power on the ball that bothered her opponents all weekend. Munroe is a special player herself, but she didn’t have the answer for Heffernan’s game today.

Heffernan teamed with Limerick teammate Sinead Meagher to win the Women’s Open doubles division.

For the second year in a row, the Minnesota State Mavericks won the open team title. Their men’s team took first place while their women’s team took second.

The Missouri State Bears finished second in the team title race. Their men took third place while their women took first place.

Final Standings (points scored)
Combined Open Division Team Champions:
1. Minnesota State University, Mankato (4,485)
2. Missouri State University (4,332)
3. University of Texas-Austin (4,192)
4. Lake Forest College (3,216)

Men’s Open Division Team Champions:
1. Minnesota State University, Mankato (2,305)
2. Lake Forest College (2,144)
3. Missouri State University (2,128)
4. University of Texas-Austin (2,076)
5. Pima Community College (1,064)

Women’s Open Division Team Champions:
1. Missouri State University (2,204)
2. Minnesota State University, Mankato (2,180)
3. University of Texas-Austin (2,116)
4. University of Arizona (1,132)
5. Lake Forest College (1,072)

Combined A Division Team Champions:
1. Utah State University (2,532)
2. Pacific University (2,320)
3. Texas A&M University (2,096)
4. Stony Brook University (1,900)
5. Angelo State University (1,864)

Men’s A Division Team Champions:
1. University of Milwaukee (1,620)
2. Stony Brook University (1,244)
3. Texas A&M University (1,024)

Women’s A Division Team Champions:
1. Texas A&M University (1,072)
2. Pacific University (1,060)
3. Angelo State University (1,004)
4. Utah State University (720)
5. Stony Brook University (660)

Men’s B Division Team Champions:
1. Utah State University (1,812)
2. Pacific University (1,264)
3. Colorado School of Mines (912)
4. Angelo State University (860)

Thanks to all the coaches, players, and volunteers who made this tournament a great success. We look forward to the 2024 USHA National Collegiate Championships at the University of Minnesota.  

You can view all the brackets and preliminary rounds on Bracket Ace HERE

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TUCSON, Ariz. –Preliminary match play continued on Thursday with many of the competitors playing into their final divisions for team scoring purposes.

If you’re unfamiliar with the USHA National Collegiate format, each participant plays two preliminary “seeding” matches to best match their skill set with other players. With their initial ranking and these two matches, they are placed in a final single elimination round of 16 division. The further they advance in that division, the more points they score for their team.

Final divisions are set and begin Friday morning, and that usually brings a full day of competitive handball and exciting close finishes. Follow along at BracketAce.com HERE.

The Tucson Racquet Club, University of Arizona Handball Club, and the USHA welcomes collegiate handball athletes from around the country and from overseas for the 70th USHA National Collegiate Championships.

The tournament officially kicked off Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 1 p.m. (Mountain) at the Tucson Racquet Club.

See below to see the tentative start times for all singles players and doubles teams. Please note that these start times are tentative and may change up to Wednesday afternoon.

Brackets, times and recent results available on Bracket Ace HERE

The main exhibition court matches will be featured and streamed on the USHA YouTube Channel.

Brackets and results will be posted here and will be updated every 2-3 hours, starting on Wednesday afternoon. Follow along on our website for daily updates.