CubingUSA Great Lakes Championship 2026

Forty-six podium positions out of fifty-one went to United States competitors across three days of action at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. The CubingUSA Great Lakes Championship 2026, held from June 5 to June 7 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, brought together 228 solvers for 35 rounds across 17 official events. Host-nation contenders swept several medal steps, but Canada also made a lasting mark on the weekend ledger with five podium finishes and a historic national mark.

Luke Garrett anchored the American charge by securing victories across four distinct events. Garrett claimed the flagship 3x3x3 Cube title with a winning average of 5.57 seconds alongside a weekend-best 5.11 single, topping a field of 224 competitors across four grueling rounds. The 3x3 results formed only part of Garrett's haul, as he added first-place finishes in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 22.82 average, the 3x3x3 One-Handed event at 9.83 seconds, and the Megaminx at 36.55 seconds. Garrett also took silver medals in both 4x4x4 Blindfolded and 5x5x5 Blindfolded.

Jack Pfeifer and Carter Thomas engaged in tight battles across the largest puzzles on the schedule. In the 7x7x7 Cube final, Pfeifer clinched the victory with an average of 1:51.45, ahead of Canadian rival Arhaan Sareen at 1:59.42 and Thomas at 2:02.92. Thomas turned the tables in the 6x6x6 Cube, taking top honors with a 1:20.54 average over Pfeifer's 1:24.71 and Sareen's 1:26.61. Sareen earned Canada's sole gold of the weekend in the 5x5x5 Cube, setting a Canadian national record average of 41.54 seconds to edge Pfeifer's 42.57 and Thomas's 45.23.

Specialist events brought further triumphs for the home contingent. Carter Kucala assembled an impressive multi-discipline resume, capturing gold in Skewb with a 1:78 average, winning 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 4:24.72, and conquering 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a winning single of 10:34.00. In Square-1, Brian Johnson claimed the top spot with a 5.75 average, holding off Hassan Khanani at 5.90 and Aidan Halloran at 8.13. Micah David Theis led the Pyraminx standings with a 1.75 average, followed by Elliott Perkins and Xavier Ye.

Beyond the championship finals, the depth of the regional speedcubing community showed across every puzzle format. At any major WCA competition, hundreds of personal milestones unfold well away from the stage. Hugo Cooper authored one of the steepest single-event jumps of the entire weekend, slashing his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 51.9 percent to 1:04.50 while also registering his first official attempts in Pyraminx at 9.82 seconds and Skewb at 10.76. Asher Shores delivered a 38.7 percent drop in 3x3x3 One-Handed to 22.58 seconds, alongside debut attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:56.55 and Square-1 at 40.94.

A wave of solvers expanded their repertoires across multiple disciplines at CubingUSA Great Lakes Championship 2026. Luis Hernández tackled 13 events, logging first attempts in the 7x7x7 Cube at 6:25.43, 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:07.95, and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:30.82. Andrew Sternberg stepped up in 11 events, logging new baselines in the 6x6x6 Cube at 3:52.52, 7x7x7 Cube at 5:42.84, and 5x5x5 Cube at 1:45.90. Wade Hutson completed 12 events, including first marks in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:58.76, Square-1 at 49.40, and 6x6x6 Cube at 3:37.43. Matthew Jackson recorded a 49th place in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a count of 62, Martin Ma notched initial marks in Clock at 26.20 and Pyraminx at 14.38, while Tucker Wathen entered 11 events with first attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:16.63 and Megaminx at 3:06.99.

Short-format puzzles delivered rapid turnarounds throughout the tournament schedule. Sujan Feist dominated the 2x2x2 Cube with a winning average of 1.19 seconds and a lightning 0.82 single, besting 214 other entrants across three rounds. In Clock, Zachary Cribb secured first place with a 2.93 average and a 2.74 single. Precision solving in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves saw Chris Chi take the win with a 22.00 mean, aided by a best single of 20 moves, illustrating the intellectual variety demanded by the broader speed cubing roster.

Memory disciplines rounded out the program in Fort Wayne. Brayden Thompson won the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title by putting down a sharp 17.48 single in a field of 55 competitors. Mason Langenderfer took the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event by successfully solving 25 of 31 cubes in 58 minutes and 21 seconds. The Rubik's Cube classic events shared equal billing with these extreme mental tests, showcasing the complete spectrum of official solving.

The final tallies from CubingUSA Great Lakes Championship 2026 underscored an exceptional weekend of head-to-head racing and individual development. With dozens of podium sweeps and career-best performances logged across 17 disciplines, the Great Lakes regional circuit in 2026 confirmed its standing as one of the most competitive stages in North American cubing competition history.