Grove City Weeknight Trios III 2026

Inside City Hall, the focused hum of timers and turning mechanisms filled the room as competitors gathered for an evening of intense puzzle solving. Grove City Weeknight Trios III 2026 brought a compact yet skilled lineup of 14 competitors to Grove City, Ohio, USA on March 5, 2026. With three events contested over six rounds, the single-day gathering provided an efficient showcase for top-tier solving across specialized formats beyond the standard Rubik's Cube. The atmosphere remained energetic from the first group stages straight through the finals.

The story of the evening belonged to Lucy Grace Bryson, who controlled the tournament by capturing two titles across different disciplines. Bryson delivered commanding performances in both big cube and complex polyhedral solving, standing at the top of the podium in both the 5x5x5 Cube and Megaminx. Her pace throughout the rounds left no doubt about her authority on the solving stations, providing a masterclass in efficiency, rapid lookahead, and mechanical control throughout the entire evening.

In the 5x5x5 Cube, Bryson took the gold medal with an exceptional winning average of 57.87, backed by a best single solve of 50.53 across the two rounds. The event featured 11 competitors pushing the limits of the large twisty puzzle. Caleb Kearney finished in second place with a final round average of 1:08.42, while Braden Richards rounded out the podium in third place with a 1:08.96 average. Richards also registered an impressive single of 1:02.70 during the event.

Bryson continued her dominant form in Megaminx, outclassing the field of nine competitors to take her second title. She delivered a winning average of 38.57, highlighted by the day's best single of 34.58. Jayden Clark secured the silver medal with an average of 56.06, while Kearney earned his second podium finish of the meet by taking third place with an average of 1:05.76. Bryson's consistency across all five solves in the final round proved unmatched.

Away from the top of the podium, Grove City Weeknight Trios III 2026 showcased incredible individual milestones that the final standings often conceal. Austin Scholl made a memorable debut in their first WCA competition, taking on two events and completing their first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube with a time of 9:11.76, as well as a first ever attempt at Megaminx in 6:30.01. Tony Pugh tackled three events on the schedule, logging a first ever attempt at Megaminx with a mark of 5:33.82. Kevin Litman entered two events and enjoyed a massive evening, setting a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 3:02.30 to improve by 13.8 percent, alongside a Clock personal best of 15.32, which was 9.1 percent faster than their prior mark.

The personal breakthroughs continued across the roster throughout the event. Daichi Halphen competed in three disciplines, claiming a best finish of 5th in 5x5x5 Cube while setting a personal best of 1:02.31, an improvement of 6.6 percent, and recording a Clock personal best of 5.72. Linus Bryson took on one event and reached an 8th-place finish in Clock, lowering their personal best by 8.2 percent to 13.48. Lydia Litman also entered Clock, achieving a best finish of 7th with a personal best of 12.31, shaving 7 percent off their previous record. Emery McFeeter took on three events and secured a 6th-place finish in Clock.

The Clock event provided a thrilling battle of its own, featuring 12 competitors over two rounds of high-speed mechanical adjustments. Caleb Kearney captured the gold medal, posting a winning average of 5.59 and delivering the fastest single solve of the event at 4.85. Keenan Darkins finished as the runner-up with a strong average of 6.15, while Clara Litman joined them on the podium in third place with a solid mark of 6.51 in the final round.

All nine podium places awarded at Grove City Weeknight Trios III 2026 were claimed by competitors from the USA, reflecting the strength of regional speed cubing. While traditional 3x3 results often capture general attention, the evening in Grove City proved that specialized disciplines offer equal drama and athletic precision. With personal bests broken across the board, the tournament served as an inspiring highlight on the 2026 speedcubing calendar.