Best in West Lafayette 2025

The competition hall at the Faith West Community Center filled early with the rhythmic clatter of plastic pieces aligning at high velocity. Tables across the venue stood ready with timing mats and displays as 36 competitors gathered in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA on November 8, 2025. While elite solvers prepared their gear, a significant portion of the floor was occupied by fresh faces taking their very first steps into competitive speedcubing, bringing an unmistakable energy to the single-day gathering.

For many in attendance, Best in West Lafayette 2025 served as an open gateway into the community. First-time entrants and developmental solvers stood side by side with seasoned veterans across four distinct puzzles spanning eight rounds of official play. The environment at a regional cubing competition thrives on this balance, offering both a proving ground for emerging talent and a sharp stage for world-class specialists testing their form.

American standout Luke Garrett proved to be the undisputed master of the day, sweeping all four disciplines on the schedule. Garrett opened his account with a commanding display in the classic Rubik's Cube, navigating three rounds among 36 competitors. His performance in the 3x3x3 Cube final was decisive, taking top honors with a winning average of 5.63 seconds and setting the best single of the entire tournament at 4.65 seconds to anchor the official 3x3 results.

Garrett continued his dominant run across the alternative events. In the one-handed division, where 27 solvers took to the tables over two rounds, Garrett captured first place with an 8.73-second average and a single of 6.97. Moving on to the complex geometry of Square-1, he secured another gold medal with an average of 9.22 seconds and a best single of 6.88 across two rounds. Garrett completed his clean sweep on the big stage of the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a winning average of 48.51 seconds and a 45.36 single in a direct final against 25 other competitors.

Away from the top of the podium, Best in West Lafayette 2025 provided an ideal stage for breakthroughs that rarely show up in headline summaries. Miriam Fowler delivered the biggest relative jump of the day, dropping her 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 55.40 seconds, an improvement of 38 percent over her prior mark. Caden Coates tackled four separate events, lowering his Square-1 personal best by 33.3 percent to 48.91 seconds while also carving 22 percent off his one-handed benchmark with a 23.92. Paxis Brodeur took on three events, completing his first official 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 3:10.71 and cutting his one-handed best by 31.7 percent to 28.21 seconds.

The milestones kept coming across the roster. Max Nguyen logged his first official attempts in both the 5x5x5 Cube with a 2:40.04 and one-handed solving with a 42.50, alongside a 30.6 percent cut to his 3x3x3 Cube personal best down to 14.03. Cole Gehring trimmed 27 percent from his previous best to finish with a 34.79 3x3x3 Cube single. Luka Fowler achieved a 25.9 percent drop in Square-1 down to 21.81 seconds, while Ryan Edwards took fifth place in 5x5x5 Cube and reduced his 3x3x3 Cube best by 22.7 percent to 7.98. First-timer Samuel Schalk embraced his debut WCA competition by logging his first official 3x3x3 Cube attempt at 15.64 seconds.

The battle for podium spots behind Garrett brought tight international competition between the United States and India. In the main event, Thamaneeswar Sathesh Kumar of India took second place with a 7.44-second average, followed by Mihir A. Rai of the USA in third at 8.36. Square-1 saw a identical podium composition, as Sathesh Kumar captured silver with a 10.16 average ahead of Rai in bronze position at 11.29. Over the course of the day, American competitors claimed eight podium finishes while Indian representatives earned four.

The remaining podiums highlighted further versatility. Rai earned his third medal of the day with a second-place finish in 3x3x3 One-Handed on a 13.40 average, just ahead of Hargun Singh Tikku of India who took third at 13.99. Tikku elevated his standing in the 5x5x5 Cube, securing second place with a 52.19-second average, while Lucy Grace Bryson rounded out the top three for the United States with an average of 1:09.09 in a competitive 26-player field.

When the final timers were cleared at Faith West Community Center, Best in West Lafayette 2025 had delivered both flawless dominance at the top and vital development across the field. From Garrett four-event masterclass to the dozen solvers recording dramatic personal milestones, the day captured the true spirit of modern speed cubing in Indiana as the community looks forward to the next season of competition.