Cougar Qualifier 2023

Three separate victories anchored a commanding day of speedcubing in Frederick, Maryland, USA, as Sean Belke set the standard across multiple disciplines. Hosted at Frederick Community College on April 29, 2023, the Cougar Qualifier 2023 welcomed 71 competitors who contested 10 rounds across six distinct events. From the classic three-layered puzzle to the complex multi-layered big cubes, Belke asserted his authority on the schedule, emerging as the dominant force of the entire gathering with a trio of gold-medal performances.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a bustling field of 69 competitors through three rounds of intense speed cubing. Belke led the way in the finals, securing first place with a winning average of 7.79 seconds and posting a best single solve of 7.16 seconds. Will Callan took second place with an average of 8.19 seconds, while Zayn Khanani followed closely in third with an 8.22 average. In addition to the podium race, the 3x3 results featured a slate of notable personal marks, including Rafik Eskandar logging an average of 10.46 seconds and Jude Stradtner finishing with an average of 11.75 seconds.

Belke extended his dominance directly into the larger puzzles, starting with the 5x5x5 Cube. Facing 37 competitors in a direct single-round battle, Belke took the top spot with a winning average of 55.94 seconds alongside a best single of 51.52 seconds. Sanzhar Beisembayev secured the second-place finish with an average of 1:04.82, while Hassan Khanani rounded out the podium in third place with a 1:05.87 average. Belke maintained complete control of the pace from the initial turns to the final solve.

The 7x7x7 Cube featured 23 entrants and brought Belke his third victory of the day. In this single-round test of endurance, Belke delivered a winning average of 3:04.44, accompanied by a sharp best single of 2:44.67. Adam Gradess gave chase to finish as the runner-up with an average of 3:07.20, while Hassan Khanani collected another podium placement in third with a 3:28.92 mark. The victory sealed Belke sweep of the big cube categories at the Cougar Qualifier 2023.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several participants produced remarkable personal milestones across the schedule. Gavin Tribie achieved a huge breakthrough in Square-1, recording a personal best of 11.76 seconds that was 60.4 percent faster than his previous mark, and also trimmed his Clock personal best to 10.92 seconds. Gavin Elison cut his Clock personal best down to 10.95 seconds, an improvement of 41.3 percent, while making his first ever attempt at Square-1 with a 53.60 mark. Andrew Joshua took on six events, logging his first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube with a time of 4:06.67 and improving his Square-1 personal best by 43 percent to 14.32 seconds. Gabriel Sindlinger tackled his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube with a 2:14.86 result and dropped his Square-1 best by 23.8 percent to 20.91 seconds.

The spirit of progress continued with competitors diving into unfamiliar formats and cutting down times. Roberto Carcamo entered all six events, logging his first ever attempt at Clock with a 12.22 mark, his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube at 1:30.16, and his first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube at 5:07.74. Andrew Franklin completed his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 1:51.12 and his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 2:42.24, taking sixth place in the blindfolded event. Thomas Cuba reduced his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 23.5 percent to 12.29 seconds and logged his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube with a 2:21.71. James Bowman took part in his first WCA competition, entering three events and completing his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:03.77.

In the specialty events, Hassan Khanani captured the title in Square-1, recording a swift winning average of 5.40 seconds and a single of 4.71 seconds across two rounds of 28 competitors. Zayn Khanani took second place with an 8.00 average, and Rafik Eskandar took third in 11.75 seconds. Eskandar rebounded to claim the gold in Clock, posting a winning average of 5.83 seconds and a best single of 5.07 seconds among 26 competitors. Jude Stradtner followed in second with a 6.38 average, and Hassan Khanani completed the podium in 7.06 seconds.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded event rounded out the action, requiring pure memorization and execution without sight. Liam Chen won the event with a winning average of 20.33 seconds and a best single solve of 16.99 seconds among 16 competitors. Corey Sakowski earned the silver medal with a 45.89 average, and Hassan Khanani secured third place with a 1:22.67 average. Overall, competitors representing the USA took 16 podium places, with Egypt earning two.

The action at Cougar Qualifier 2023 wrapped up with a celebration of versatile solving across every bracket. With memorable personal benchmarks established from the traditional Rubik's Cube to the complex 7x7x7 layers, the cubing competition provided a full day of top-tier racing in Maryland. Belke triple-victory performance highlighted an eventful tournament that sets an exciting standard for the remainder of the 2023 calendar.