Fredonia Finals 2025

Evan Waters delivered the standout performance of the weekend with a decisive 8.36 second average to take the classic Rubik's Cube crown, backed up by a sharp 7.88 single. Held on July 26, 2025 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center Dunkirk, NY, Fredonia Finals 2025 brought 28 competitors together in Dunkirk, New York, USA for eight packed events. The one-day gathering proved to be a showcase of personal breakthroughs across the board, with competitors finding new speed from the classic three-by-three to the heaviest big cubes on the official schedule.

The 3x3 results formed the centerpiece of the tournament, featuring a competitive single-round battle among 28 entrants. Waters held off a tight challenge at the top, edging Louis Truong who secured second place with an 8.59 average. Ganghui Lin finished close behind in third at 8.77, setting an official single of 8.02 along the way. Further down the order, personal bests tumbled across the roster, with Skylar Porter posting an 11.39 single and 13.27 average, while Owen Lowicki achieved an 11.60 single and 16.65 average.

Ganghui Lin authored a masterclass across the multi-layered puzzles, collecting three individual victories during Fredonia Finals 2025. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Lin set the pace with a winning 29.42 average and a round-best 24.45 single to finish ahead of Waters at 33.63 and Mark John at 34.96. Lin continued that dominance on the 5x5x5 Cube, registering a 57.04 average and a 52.81 single, besting Truong at 1:04.27 and Xavier Ye at 1:12.05 in a 20-person field.

The 7x7x7 Cube saw Lin cap his triple victory with a 3:03.63 average, supported by a 2:57.03 single. Truong pushed hard to claim second place at 3:05.87, while Patrick Strawder rounded out the podium at 3:35.50. Truong reversed the order on the 6x6x6 Cube, securing first place with a 1:55.60 average and a 1:53.21 single to turn back Lin's 1:56.95 mark, while Waters picked up another podium spot in third with a 2:28.02 average.

Beyond the championship battles, this cubing competition served as a launchpad for remarkable individual progression throughout the field. Nathan Kriner dropped his Megaminx mark by 27.4 percent down to 1:37.19, lowered his Clock best by 25.3 percent to 11.97, and took on his first ever official 5x5x5 Cube solve with a 2:06.51. Elijah Mitchell chopped 23.8 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube record with a 14.73 single and improved his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 16.4 percent to 1:49.07. Phoenix Mascellino took 22.8 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube best to finish in 53.97, while Dominic DiLuciano surged on the 7x7x7 Cube, cutting 21.1 percent to record a 4:46.19 mark across eight grueling events.

Colton Gehrling had a stellar outing across seven events, taking 20.3 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube mark to hit 49.32 and trimming his 6x6x6 Cube time by 18.8 percent down to 4:25.99. Richard Gardner tackled seven events and secured a career-best fifth place in 7x7x7 Cube with a maiden 3:56.92 attempt, alongside a 19.3 percent improvement on 4x4x4 Cube at 39.89. Nathan Smith made large strides in eight events, taking 17 percent off his 6x6x6 Cube time to reach 3:22.73 and cutting 13.9 percent on 5x5x5 Cube to 1:40.73. Carter Szkatulski completed his first WCA competition by taking on three events, including a 17.08 initial mark in the three-by-three and a best finish of 18th in Skewb.

Side events offered another platform for sharp execution, with Evan Waters adding two more titles to his tournament haul. Waters captured the Clock title with an average of 4.09 seconds and a 3.89 single, finishing clear of Xavier Ye at 6.01 and Owen Lowicki at 6.24. Waters also topped the 21-competitor Skewb bracket with an average of 3.34 and a 2.39 single, outpacing Ye at 4.13 and Michael Vanner at 5.77 in rapid succession.

Xavier Ye added his own gold in Megaminx, delivering a winning 52.98 average that included a field-leading 44.66 single. Andrew Lee took second place with a 1:03.05 average, finishing narrowly ahead of Waters who posted 1:03.90. The diverse discipline lineup challenged the 28 participants across every mechanical style, highlighting how speed cubing demands versatility over varied turn mechanics and face counts.

The single-day schedule at Fredonia Finals 2025 concluded with 19 podium finishes for United States competitors and five for China. From first-time entrants testing new puzzles to seasoned speedcubing veterans posting world-class times, the tournament in Dunkirk provided a rich collection of personal milestones. As solvers pack up their puzzles and look ahead to the next season, the sheer volume of personal bests sets a high bar for future competition across the region.