Arizona Autumn 2024

The competitive floor inside Bear Down Gym buzzed with focused energy as 86 solvers assembled in Tucson, Arizona, USA on September 28, 2024. Hand warmers rested beside stacks of regulation mats, stopwatches reset to zero, and the rhythmic clicking of twisting plastic filled the hall from the earliest practice scrambles. For many in attendance, the day offered an arena to measure months of patient practice against official timers, making the venue a focal point of personal milestones and competitive determination across five different puzzle disciplines.

The headline battle in the traditional Rubik's Cube brought fierce matchups across three intense stages of elimination. Dan Tran seized the top step in the final with a commanding winning average of 7.61 seconds, backed by a best single of 7.16 seconds. The 3x3 results saw Jesse Gonzales take second place with an 8.19 average, while Quintin Audisho secured third on an 8.50 average. Across the 84-player bracket, a wave of competitors achieved notable official marks, reinforcing how deep the talent ran across the Tucson tournament.

Tran's dominant run extended well beyond the standard puzzle, defining the upper tiers of the day's multi-stage schedule. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Tran captured first place out of 47 competitors with a 28.27 winning average and a 26.55 best single, finishing ahead of runner-up Brady Lawrence at 35.21 and Audisho in third at 36.48. Tran completed a remarkable triple victory in Megaminx, navigating the twelve-sided puzzle to an average of 52.64 seconds, holding off Mia Sponseller's 55.21 and Audisho's 1:02.01.

The side events delivered equally thrilling races on the timing pads, led by high-speed action in Pyraminx. Quintin Audisho topped the 61-competitor field with an electric 2.69 average and an event-best 1.04 single, while India's Saransh Grover claimed second with 3.87 and Garrett Hogue earned third with 4.85. Hogue returned to the winner circle in Skewb, pacing 55 solvers with a 4.49 average and a 4.18 single, edging out Kellan Kight's 4.56 and Isaac Enright's 5.27 in a tight podium finish.

Beyond the trophies, the real pulse of this cubing competition came from massive drops in individual personal marks. Aarav Ponnapalli delivered one of the steepest single-event reductions of the weekend, carving his Skewb personal best down to 10.17 seconds, a massive 46.6 percent improvement over his previous mark, while also logging a first ever official Pyraminx attempt of 25.46 seconds. Braxton Carnazzo shaved his 3x3x3 Cube best down to 21.69 seconds, improving by 42.5 percent, and cut his Pyraminx best by 42.1 percent to 8.95 seconds across four entered events. Joshua Crockett similarly progressed, dropping his 3x3x3 mark by 42.1 percent to 20.94 seconds, while James Barker slashed his Pyraminx best by 41.3 percent to 8.53 seconds alongside a 59.56 personal best in 4x4x4 Cube.

Expanding repertoires also highlighted the tournament's vibrant undercard across multiple rounds. Oliver Breecher dropped his 3x3x3 Cube best by 31.6 percent down to 7.84 seconds while logging his first official attempts in Pyraminx with an 8.53 and Skewb with a 15.16. Donnivan Heathcote took on five events, logging a first Skewb attempt of 13.58 and a first Megaminx of 2:19.92, while improving his 4x4x4 personal best by 23.8 percent to 1:13.43. Zaynab Alkhalifa tackled five disciplines, setting a first Skewb mark of 8.89, a first 4x4x4 time of 48.35, and a 25.6 percent Pyraminx improvement to 3.84 for a fifth-place finish. Elias Miller took on four categories, completing his first attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:12.01, Pyraminx at 13.72, and Skewb at 9.13.

Fresh faces enriched the 2024 speed cubing gathering as first-time participants made their entrance onto the official circuit. Grayson Adamic tackled four distinct disciplines in their debut WCA competition, recording a 24.23 single in 3x3x3 Cube, a 9.09 in Pyraminx, and an 18.29 in Skewb. Fellow debutants Ryker Standaert, Kenan Danford, and Alonso Miranda all logged their maiden solves on the main stage, proving that local enthusiasm in Tucson continues to bring new enthusiasts into organized play.

With 10 full rounds contested over an action-packed Saturday, Arizona Autumn 2024 wrapped up as a celebration of technical progression and athletic consistency. Competitors from the United States and international delegations shared the floor, logging breakthroughs across five distinct events. The impressive times posted across both beginner brackets and championship finals confirmed that speedcubing in the region remains on a steep upward trajectory as solvers look forward to future challenges.

As Bear Down Gym quieted and timers were packed away, the lasting legacy of Arizona Autumn 2024 remained the collective leap in speed and skill displayed throughout the arena. Whether standing atop the podium with multiple gold finishes or celebrating a dramatic reduction in personal bests, every solver left a distinct mark on the official ledger, concluding an unforgettable chapter in the regional speedcubing season.