Arizona Favorites 2024

Inside the North Ballroom at the University of Arizona Student Union, the rhythm of tournament day was dictated by the strict progression of rounds and cutoffs. A total of 75 competitors gathered in Tucson, Arizona, USA on February 10, 2024, facing an ambitious schedule of 13 events packed across 17 rounds. Across the tables, every solver knew the format demanded precision from the opening solve, where a single mistake could mean missing the advancement threshold into the decisive finals.

The pressure of the multi-round format was most visible in the classic Rubik's Cube, where 63 entrants tackled the opening phase aiming for a spot in the concluding round of the cubing competition. Emerging at the top of the 3x3 results was Jeremy Bulambot, who secured victory with a crisp 7.30 winning average and a round-best single of 6.42. Bulambot managed the pacing across both stages of the 3x3x3 Cube to take first place in the weekend's largest field.

Bulambot's command over the multi-tier brackets extended across other core puzzles. In the 2x2x2 Cube, which featured two rounds among 51 entrants, he claimed gold with a blistering 1.89 final average and a 1.35 single. Tyler Shoaff followed in second with a 2.82 average, while TJ Hayward secured third with 3.20. Bulambot completed a three-event sweep by taking the 4x4x4 Cube over two rounds, averaging 34.19 to edge out Xavier W. NcCorchuk at 35.95 and Noah Villagomez at 42.00.

In events running as straight one-round finals, Nathan Miles delivered an extraordinary display of stamina across the big cubes. With no second chances to adjust to the stage, Miles captured first place in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:01.57 average, ahead of NcCorchuk's 1:12.23 and Villagomez's 1:20.65. Miles also took top honors in the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:58.55 average, trailed by Emily Greenwood at 2:32.58 and Quintin Audisho at 2:47.34, before winning the four-player 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:59.42 mark.

Nathan Miles added a fourth title in 3x3x3 One-Handed, navigating the two-round setup to win with a 12.79 average. Meanwhile, single-round disciplines demanded instant accuracy from specialists. Quintin Audisho secured the Pyraminx title with a 3.69 average over Aidan Pavlovic's 5.06 and Maxwell Jensen's 5.81. Audisho also earned a win in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, posting a single of 1:45.87. Brian Yi claimed the Skewb final with a 4.31 average, Mia Sponseller took Megaminx in 49.57, Maxwell Jensen won Clock in 8.78, and Ivan Vanek led Square-1 with a 10.36 average.

Beyond the podium standings, the tournament floor was energized by massive breakthroughs and bold debuts that the final scorecards rarely highlight. Logan Duran slashed his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 55.5 percent down to a 2.29 personal best and finished fifth overall. Brecken Thomas Barnett dropped his 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 54.5 percent to 32.15 while making a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:38.14. Dylan Kaminski carved 54 percent off his previous benchmark to reach a 6.46 Skewb personal best, and Jaycob Mills improved his Pyraminx best by 50.3 percent to 5.11 while posting a first ever attempt at Skewb in 3.70.

That spirit of ambition continued as Julius Ponce cut his Skewb best by 49.7 percent to 11.90 and lowered his 5x5x5 Cube mark by 29.4 percent to 2:36.59. Manuel Muniz Jr. improved his Pyraminx best by 47.5 percent to 8.04 and logged a first ever attempt at Skewb in 16.86. James Link lowered his Skewb personal best by 35.4 percent down to 3.65 and notched a first ever attempt at Clock in 18.00. Orion Brooks entered his first WCA competition, taking on four events, finishing seventh in 2x2x2 Cube, and putting up a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Cube in 11.66.

The single-day schedule provided a relentless test of focus and technical adaptability for every competitor who took part in Arizona Favorites 2024. Across 17 total rounds, the balance between surviving multi-phase qualification cuts and delivering instant perfection in single-round finals shaped every outcome. The gathering highlighted the deep variety of modern speed cubing, leaving the local speedcubing community with notable milestones as competitors prepare for the next chapter of the season.