Hillister Cube Hustle 2026

Sixteen of the 18 podium spots belonged to host nation solvers when the Hillister Cube Hustle 2026 got underway at the Hillister Assembly of God Church. Across 12 rounds of intense speedcubing on July 18, 2026, a total of 71 competitors gathered in Hillister, Texas, USA to test their skills in a stacked program. The domestic contingent captured five of the six gold trophies available, sweeping several disciplines outright in an emphatic showing at this memorable cubing competition.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 69 competitors through three rounds of action, but the duel at the top ended in an all-American showdown. Siddharth Reddy captured the title with a dazzling winning average of 6.20, anchored by a best single of 5.35 seconds. Fellow countryman Ryan Pilat pushed the pace throughout the final round, taking second place with an average of 6.33. Derek Herrera of the Philippines claimed third place with an average of 7.40, marking the only international podium presence in the 3x3 results alongside his silver in 4x4x4 Cube.

Siddharth Reddy was not finished with his classic Rubik's Cube triumph, doubling up on gold in the fast-paced 2x2x2 Cube showdown. Reddy took top honors with an astonishing winning average of 1.46 seconds, accompanied by a blistering single solve of 1.12. United States speed cubing talents secured a complete sweep of the podium steps, as Ryan Pilat grabbed silver with a 2.17 mark and AJ Le finished third with an average of 2.90 across two competitive rounds.

Ryan Pilat proved to be the most versatile champion of the Hillister Cube Hustle 2026, amassing three individual victories across the day. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Pilat paced a 50-person field with a winning average of 25.08 and a fastest single of 21.16, finishing ahead of Derek Herrera at 29.91 and George Fan at 31.60. Pilat then ruled the 5x5x5 Cube with a 48.21 average and a 42.88 single, while Rune Thomas Coulbourne took second at 58.56 and Zachary White claimed third with a 59.89 result.

The blindfolded contest added a dramatic test of mental mapping and execution, where competitors must memorize the scrambled puzzle before donning a blindfold to complete the solve. Ryan Pilat triumphed once again in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, posting a gold-medal single of 17.27 seconds despite a final average of DNF. Abhinav Agarwal captured the silver spot with a time of 1:01.13, while Thai Bui secured bronze at 1:11.76, completing another full podium sweep for the host country.

Beyond the championship podiums, the official WCA competition highlighted tremendous milestones and breakthrough performances throughout the tournament hall. Kobe Cymone Harris showed astonishing growth in the 2x2x2 Cube, cutting previous marks down to a personal best of 7.08 seconds, which was 51.8 percent faster than before. Anthony Sanchez took on three disciplines and logged a 2.49 in 2x2x2 Cube, representing a 37.8 percent improvement, alongside a 7.30 personal best in Skewb and a 16th-place finish in the 3x3x3 Cube. Max Dajung Kim tackled four events, slicing 34.3 percent off their previous standard with a 1:19.06 personal best in 4x4x4 Cube, setting a 14.23 3x3x3 Cube mark, and attempting 5x5x5 Cube for the first time with a 2:16.03.

The depth of progress continued across multiple tiers of the bracket. Micah Thames delivered a 27.3 percent upgrade in 3x3x3 Cube with a 32.36 personal best, alongside first-ever competition attempts of 8.10 in 2x2x2 Cube and 15.67 in Skewb. Theodore Velez entered four events and dropped their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 25.6 percent to 3.99 seconds, also recording a 28.50 Skewb best and a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt at 2:33.76. Ethan Wang took on five events, achieving a best finish of 19th in 3x3x3 Cube, dropping their 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 13.9 percent to 2:18.28, and attempting 2x2x2 Cube for the first time with a 2.62 solve. In their very first official tournament, Tiger Mao took on five events and posted a 4.43 initial attempt in 2x2x2 Cube and a 49.17 in 4x4x4 Cube, while fellow debutant Moses Braswell entered five events, claiming 7th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded and logging a first 2x2x2 Cube time of 5.75.

The fast-turning Skewb event delivered its own thrilling climax to round out the program in Hillister. Benjamin Spradley captured first place with a precise 3.29 winning average and a single of 1.87 seconds, narrowly holding off Max William Colwell who took silver with a 3.31 average. Brendon Hatfield secured bronze at 3.94 seconds to finalize another all-American top three, putting an exclamation mark on an action-packed day of classic speedcubing excellence.

As the final timers stopped and the venue cleared, the Hillister Cube Hustle 2026 closed its books as a stellar showcase of technical mastery and widespread personal milestones. From the multi-gold achievements of Siddharth Reddy and Ryan Pilat to the scores of personal records set by rising competitors, the 2026 edition demonstrated the vibrant spirit of solving in the Lone Star State.