Cubing at Iowa State 2025

A blistering 25.18-second average on the 4x4x4 Cube by Kaius Young set the tone for a packed schedule of speedcubing across five distinct disciplines. Held at the Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU on March 1, 2025, the tournament brought together 87 competitors in Ames, Iowa, USA. From the mechanical turns of Clock to massive multidirectional challenges on Skewb, the single-day WCA competition highlighted solving versatility. Across nine rounds of intense play, participants demonstrated rapid mastery over both classic layers and specialized mechanisms.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew the full field of 87 solvers over three demanding rounds. Brody Rhoades delivered the top 3x3 results of the tournament, taking first place with a winning average of 7.27 seconds along with the round single of 5.79 seconds. Rhoades held off a determined charge from Young, who secured second place with an average of 8.45 seconds. Ethan Cho completed the podium in third place at 8.57 seconds, underscoring the fierce standard of standard Rubik's Cube solving in the region.

Cubing at Iowa State 2025 gave larger cubes a major platform, starting with the 4x4x4 Cube final. Young dominated the bracket of 57 competitors, logging a championship average of 25.18 seconds and a single of 22.66 seconds to earn the title. Rhoades claimed second place with a 32.06 average, while Cho picked up his second bronze finish of the day at 32.81. The layered puzzles demanded sharp lookahead and precise edge pairing across every phase of the competition.

The 5x5x5 Cube tournament saw Cho turn the tables to capture top honours among 39 competitors. Cho assembled an unbeatable 47.82-second average with a best single of 46.61 seconds in the single-round showdown. Rhoades maintained his steady podium run by claiming second place with an average of 54.54 seconds, while Young followed closely in third place at 55.35 seconds. The battle on the big cubes highlighted how top solvers adapt their fingertricks to larger hardware.

Beyond the traditional cubes, alternative puzzles provided dramatic finishes throughout the day. In Clock, Chris Van Der Brink topped a bracket of 45 competitors with a winning average of 4.12 seconds and a best single of 3.29 seconds. Max McGill earned the second step on the podium at 4.86 seconds, while Rhoades added another top-three finish with a 5.67 average. The Skewb final was decided by the slimmest of margins, as Trenton Cuzick took the win with a 4.17 average, edging Maxim Duncan at 4.18 seconds, with Joel V. Stratemeyer taking third at 4.57 seconds.

Away from the top steps of the podium, Cubing at Iowa State 2025 provided an arena for breakthrough personal milestones. Jonah Taylor delivered one of the steepest progressions of the day, cutting 40.5 percent off his Skewb personal best with a time of 4.23 seconds on his way to an eighth-place finish, while also recording his first ever attempt at Clock with an 11.88 single. Joshua Antoine improved his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 21.4 percent to 59.50 seconds and completed his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:02.73 across four entered disciplines. Winslow Parker took on four events, dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best by 18.3 percent to 15.53 seconds alongside a first attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 1:43.38. Carlos A. Tristan notched an 18.1 percent improvement in the 3x3x3 Cube to 13.94 seconds and clocked 19.18 seconds on his first Clock attempt.

The depth of the field was equally evident among competitors expanding their repertoires across new categories. Josiah Bolton entered five events, cutting his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 15.2 percent to 11.80 seconds, finishing 16th in 5x5x5 Cube, and putting up first attempts of 9.40 in Skewb and 17.91 in Clock. Landen Leerhoff competed across five events, improving his 4x4x4 Cube best by 12.7 percent to 1:05.15 and his Skewb best by 10.6 percent to 6.17 seconds. Making their WCA debuts, Stefan Sundin contested three disciplines to secure seventh place in 4x4x4 Cube with a 37.42 first attempt, while Branden Shoemaker tackled four events, registering initial tournament marks of 25.68 in 3x3x3 Cube and 2:59.81 in 5x5x5 Cube.

All fifteen podium positions on the day were collected by United States competitors, reflecting a competitive regional landscape. Solvers navigated rapid transitions between the gear shifts of Clock, corner-turning Skewb mechanics, and the extended concentration required for big cubes. As speed cubing continues to expand in complexity and scope, this Ames gathering proved that well-rounded skill across varied formats remains a hallmark of modern cubers.

The successful conclusion of Cubing at Iowa State 2025 closed out a dynamic weekend of competition in Ames. With personal bests falling across every round and multiple multi-event podium sweeps by the top contenders, the 2025 tournament demonstrated the vitality of the Midwest scene. Solvers now carry fresh momentum, lower personal records, and broad event experience into the next chapters of their competitive campaigns.