Bulldog Spring 2023

Sixty-seven competitors gathered at Green Middle School on June 17, 2023, for a fast-paced day of twisty puzzle action. While speed events demand frantic fingertricks and rapid recognition under the glare of the timer, the broader world of speedcubing often draws contrast with disciplines like Fewest Moves, where quiet analysis, pen, and paper replace raw turning velocity. At Bulldog Spring 2023 in Uniontown, Ohio, USA, the emphasis fell entirely on that high-tempo physical execution across nine rounds and five featured disciplines.

The 2023 program in Uniontown brought together contenders across multiple formats, running from standard Rubik's Cube matchups to big cubes and the twelve-sided Megaminx. Throughout the day, the intensity remained high as competitors navigated cutoffs, tested their setups, and chased improvements across the tables. Across every division contested at this cubing competition, the top step of the podium belonged to a single dominant competitor.

Luke Garrett delivered an extraordinary clean sweep across all five disciplines at Bulldog Spring 2023. In the 3x3x3 Cube, which drew the complete 67-competitor field across three rounds, Garrett secured victory with a 6.09 average, complemented by a best single of 5.35. Benjamin Pugh claimed second place on the podium with a 7.21 average, while Chris Chi took third with an average of 7.97 in the concluding final of the marquee event.

Garrett continued his commanding form in the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a winning average of 30.18 and a single of 26.35 across two rounds to lead a field of 51 entrants. Dylan Cossin finished as the runner-up with a 32.81 average, followed by Sean Cutshaw in third at 34.87. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Garrett recorded a winning average of 10.43 and a single of 9.06 over two rounds, with Cossin taking second place at 13.99 and Pugh securing third at 14.30.

The single-round events saw Garrett maintain his gold-medal streak. In the 5x5x5 Cube, he logged an average of 56.59 and a single of 51.97 among 31 participants, edging Dylan Cossin, who finished second with a 57.85 average, while Braden Richards placed third at 1:06.50. Garrett then secured the Megaminx title with a 42.24 average and a best single of 37.66 in a field of 30 solvers, ahead of Cossin with 55.46 and Richards with 56.39.

Beyond the title race, the floor saw remarkable milestones from competitors across the field. Luke Troxler delivered one of the weekend's sharpest drops, cutting his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark to 24.62, which was 56.7 percent faster than his prior standard, while also clocking a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:12.44. Ethan Bowman lowered his Rubik's Cube best to 14.47, an improvement of 38.6 percent, and completed his first ever attempts in both the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:20.30 and the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:27.45. Blair Beck set a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:01.33, dropping 32.1 percent, and tackled 3x3x3 One-Handed for the first time in 1:00.24. Alaina Lawrence lowered her 3x3x3 standard to 19.61, a 23.8 percent drop, and took on Megaminx for the first time with a result of 2:24.73.

Several other competitors made notable strides across multiple events at this WCA competition. Jonah M. Dolesh achieved an eighth-place finish in Megaminx behind a personal best of 58.68 that was 19.5 percent faster than before, while also recording a first attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 27.30. Collin Armstrong lowered his 4x4x4 Cube time to 1:10.27, an improvement of 19.6 percent, and logged his first official 5x5x5 Cube attempt at 2:40.93. Roger Chen registered his first 4x4x4 Cube solve at 1:42.47 alongside a 35.50 mark in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Meanwhile, Beckham Pham stepped up for his first WCA competition, recording an 8.37 single in the 3x3x3 Cube, a 24.31 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and a 44.95 in the 4x4x4 Cube.

The 3x3 results across the board reflected deep engagement from the local speed cubing community in Ohio, with all 15 podium positions throughout the five disciplines won by United States competitors. With efficient organisation across all nine rounds, Bulldog Spring 2023 delivered a full showcase of technical skill and personal progression, setting the stage for these athletes as they prepare for the next season of tournament play.