Anchorage Spring 2025

Hanshew Middle School buzzed with continuous clicking as 37 speedcubers took their stations for a packed slate of eight events across fourteen rounds. The tables in the competition hall stayed busy throughout the one-day gathering, where newcomers and seasoned competitors sat side by side beneath the timing mats. Across every event, solving mats flashed green as solvers attacked everything from miniature twisty puzzles to dense multi-layered cubes. The atmosphere across the floor reflected the energetic nature of modern speedcubing, offering a vivid showcase of focus and precision in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

A relentless wave of benchmark marks emerged directly from the tables at Anchorage Spring 2025, particularly throughout the dynamic rounds of the 2x2x2 Cube. A total of ten competitors recorded fresh official marks during the contest, fundamentally resetting the regional benchmarks across the smaller puzzle. Michael Larsen turned heads by posting a rapid 2.19 single alongside a 2.38 average, while David Steele logged a sharp 4.38 single on his way to a 4.65 average. Further down the ranks, Tripp Peters registered a 3.87 single and a 5.51 average, showing how deeply competitive the qualification stages proved to be.

The 2x2x2 Cube rounds continued to produce landmark results for the rest of the pack in this high-energy cubing competition. Joshawa Christiani produced a 3.79 single and a 5.31 average, while Phelan Lee Kitchens completed his official solves with a 3.24 single and 7.74 average. Owen Moyer collected a 5.01 single and 7.57 average, Kevin Acevedo logged a 6.18 single with a 7.03 average, and Zachary King notched a 7.60 single alongside an 8.25 average. Gryphon Lincoln delivered an 8.15 single and 9.12 average, while Carlo Medina completed the flurry with an 8.36 single and 11.08 average, cementing an unforgettable series of performances.

At the sharp end of the podium hunt, Evan Liu authored a dominant performance across multiple disciplines, claiming six gold medals on the day. Liu took the 2x2x2 Cube title by a microscopic margin, winning with a 2.87 average just a fraction ahead of Daniel Mullen at 2.88, while Luke Johnson claimed third in 3.10. Liu then swept the big cubes, capturing the 5x5x5 Cube with a 57.73 average and a 50.63 single, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:40.56, and the 7x7x7 Cube in 2:47.52. His mastery carried over into alternate puzzles as well, securing the Skewb crown with a 4.77 average and taking the Clock title with a 5.09 mark.

Mullen provided the headline answers in the traditional events, asserting command over the classic Rubik's Cube. In the 3x3x3 Cube, Mullen secured the championship with a stellar 8.00 average, posting the weekend's best single of 7.20 during the three-round contest. Larsen took second place with a 9.10 average, and Liu earned third with 9.55. Mullen doubled his gold tally in 3x3x3 One-Handed, claiming victory with a 14.93 average over Liu's 15.14 and Larsen's 17.19. The 3x3 results confirmed Mullen's steady hand across the most contested brackets of the gathering, showing elite control under tournament conditions.

Beyond the championship battles, Anchorage Spring 2025 provided an ideal stage for under-the-radar competitors to record massive individual milestones. Phelan Lee Kitchens delivered a standout performance in Skewb, setting a personal best of 5.72 to slice 66.6 percent off his previous mark, while also taking his first official attempt at Clock with a 35.18 result. Randy Jordan entered six disciplines, earning fifth place in the 2x2x2 Cube and posting an impressive 43.5 percent improvement in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 17.24 single. Noah Chon tackled eight events, claiming fifth in the 6x6x6 Cube, logging a first 7x7x7 Cube solve of 4:50.82, and dropping his Clock personal best by 40.9 percent down to 9.51.

The progress extended across several other solvers pushing their limits at Hanshew Middle School. Lochlan Kaloci slashed 40 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube personal best with a 25.59 single, alongside a first Skewb attempt of 7.99. Joshawa Christiani trimmed 42.5 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube best to hit 3.79, while Dawn Latimer placed fifth in Clock and cut 37.5 percent off her 3x3x3 One-Handed best with a 43.22 single. Making their WCA competition debuts, Zachary King took on six events with an 11th-place run in the 5x5x5 Cube, while Gryphon Lincoln also competed in six events, recording a 10th-place finish in the 6x6x6 Cube.

The single-day tournament concluded on May 24, 2025, leaving an indelible mark on the local community. Across eight events and 24 podium spots swept by United States competitors, the event highlighted the vibrant health of speed cubing in the region. Between the sheer volume of personal milestones and the commanding multi-event victories from the top seeds, Anchorage Spring 2025 delivered an exceptional showcase of puzzle solving, sending solvers home with new benchmarks to chase into the upcoming competitive cycle.