CubingUSA Southeast FMC Championship 2024

Kerry Creech delivered a masterclass in efficiency on June 15, 2024, securing victory with a decisive 25.00 average that was punctuated by a stellar single of 23 moves. In a discipline where every single turn of the Rubik's Cube is scrutinized and measured over an hour of intense calculation, Creech held off the field in the final tallies. The performance sealed the title at the CubingUSA Southeast FMC Championship 2024, an event that gathered specialist solvers across multiple hubs simultaneously.

The competition unfolded across Multiple cities, USA, offering a multi-venue format where 53 competitors sat down for a single, high-stakes round of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. Rather than the blistering turns of traditional speedcubing, this specialized WCA competition demanded patience, deep algorithmic analysis, and nerves of steel. Solvers across the region worked through three distinct scrambles, aiming to produce the leanest written solutions possible while managing the strict sixty-minute time limit for each attempt.

The race for the podium proved fiercely contested right down to the final moves. Zachary Ochs claimed the second step on the podium for the United States, logging a 26 single on the way to a clean 27.00 average. Noah Swor stayed right on his heels, matching Ochs with a 26 single of his own and finishing in third place with a 27.33 average. The top three swept all podium spots for the host nation in a showcase of domestic FMC strength.

Behind the top trio, several other competitors turned in exceptional routines on the day. Dominic Redisi captured fourth place with a 30.00 average and a single of 29 moves, while Jacob Ambrose posted identical figures across his work to lock in a 31.00 average with a best single of 31. Chris Hardwick also delivered a tight scorecard, posting a 33.00 average alongside a 33 single in a remarkably consistent series of solves across the board.

The depth of the field continued through the remainder of the top ten, where Andreas Lambropoulos carded a 30 single and a 34.67 average. Kyra Joiner matched that exact 34.67 average while recording a best single of 34 moves. Daniel Mullen recorded a single of 29 moves on his way to a 35.67 average, and Katie Hull rounded out the leading tier with a 30 single and a 36.00 average, proving the high quality of solution-building present throughout the event.

Away from the top of the standings, the tournament was filled with personal milestones and breakthroughs across the floor. Ethan Owens achieved a major milestone by logging a 3x3x3 Fewest Moves personal best of 40 moves, which improved upon his previous career mark of 59 by 32.2 percent. Kendall Rounbehler also earned a substantial personal best of 43 moves, trimming his prior standard of 58 by 25.9 percent. Meanwhile, Sunny You took on their very first official WCA competition and delivered a 35-move attempt on their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves to finish 35th.

First attempts at the discipline defined the weekend for several experienced speed cubing competitors testing out new territory. Gabriel Nash made his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves and secured a 32-move single to take 31st place. Jordan Cape entered the event for his first official attempt, delivering a 37-move result for a 14th-place finish. Hayden Lesser tackled his first FMC solve to finish 39th with a 40, William Vandergrift registered a 45 on his maiden attempt for 23rd place, and Max Werner posted a 42 on his first try to finish 24th.

With all three solves completed and submitted, the CubingUSA Southeast FMC Championship 2024 wrapped up as a definitive test of spatial reasoning and branch exploration. While standard 3x3 results reward fast reaction times and physical agility, this meeting celebrated the deliberate craft of minimizing move counts. As the 2024 season continues, the performances across these simultaneous locations highlighted the expanding depth and technical standard of the discipline across the region.