GCU Spring 2023

Patrick Ponce delivered the weekend standout performance by laying down a blistering 4.63 single on his way to securing the 3x3x3 Cube title with a 6.22 average. Held at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey, USA on May 6, 2023, the single-day gathering brought together 171 competitors across five disciplines and 11 rounds. The tournament schedule moved swiftly, highlighting the explosive speed of shorter puzzles alongside the endurance required for larger hardware.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 165 entrants across two full rounds of action. Ponce set the standard early and held firm through the final round to take first place. Noah Kim captured the second step on the podium with a solid 7.29 average, while Dana Yi rounded out the top three by recording a 7.67 average. The high-caliber 3x3 results demonstrated intense precision at the summit of the classic Rubik's Cube bracket.

In the rapid-fire 2x2x2 Cube event, Ayden Dincher took the top spot among 154 competitors over two rounds of play. Dincher assembled a winning average of 2.83, backed by a best single of 1.90. Livia Kleiner secured the runner-up position with a 2.94 average, while Kye Carretero earned third place with a mark of 3.07. The fast turns of the 2x2 bracket delivered some of the tightest margins of the entire cubing competition.

Beyond the standard cubes, the side events brought exceptional speed to the tables. Kyle Meade captured the Pyraminx title out of 138 competitors across three rounds, posting a winning average of 1.85 and a best single of 1.46. Livia Kleiner took second place with a 3.05 average, followed by Daniel Goodman in third at 3.28. In Clock, Ryan Michael Breen dominated the 88-person field over three rounds, logging an event-winning 4.26 average with a single of 4.22 ahead of Meade and Evan Liu.

The 6x6x6 Cube brought a shift toward heavyweight puzzle strategy, fielding 57 entrants in a single decisive round. Patrick Ponce earned his second victory of the competition by recording an average of 1:31.85, bolstered by a 1:26.99 single. Evan Liu finished second with a 1:42.02 average, and Livia Kleiner collected another podium spot in third with a 1:43.91. Competitors from the USA swept all fifteen podium places available throughout the day.

Away from the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across their individual schedules. Mohamad Gebai entered five events and showed major progress in Clock, dropping his personal best to 8.19 seconds, which was 74 percent faster than his prior 31.49 mark, while also logging a first attempt in 2x2x2 Cube at 5.77. Christopher Kim registered a Clock personal best of 9.52, an improvement of 76.7 percent over his previous 40.88, alongside a 2.49 Pyraminx personal best. Mahaer Chugh tackled five events, finishing 31st in 6x6x6 Cube with a first attempt of 4:08.31 and shaving 52.6 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube best with a 2.95 single. James Pilquist competed in four events, delivering a first Clock attempt of 24.89, a first Pyraminx attempt of 10.29, and cutting his 2x2x2 Cube best by 50.6 percent to 4.96.

The progress continued as Jiachun Shen took on four events, setting a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 3.21 and trying Pyraminx and Clock for the first time with marks of 8.52 and 23.84 respectively. Benjamin Walter completed five disciplines, securing 32nd place in 6x6x6 Cube with a debut mark of 4:25.98, while also earning a 41.8 percent cut on his Pyraminx best at 5.28 and a 36.2 percent improvement on his 2x2x2 Cube mark at 3.26. Dhruva Ganesh competed in two events, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 49.9 percent down to 24.16 and recording a first Pyraminx mark of 29.56. Francisco Dos Ramos took on three events, posting initial official marks in 2x2x2 Cube at 6.96 and Pyraminx at 9.60, as well as a 16.9 percent personal best improvement in 3x3x3 Cube at 15.93.

The depth of performance seen at GCU Spring 2023 highlighted how rapidly speedcubing talent continues to develop across all categories. From big cubes to micro-solves, every round pushed the field to sharpen their turning efficiency under pressure. As another high-energy WCA competition enters the books, competitors turn their focus toward the next season of speed cubing fixtures.