LA Low and Slow 2026

Zachary White delivered a commanding performance across the heavyweight divisions, capturing four titles in a single day to define the competitive standard in Prairieville, Louisiana, USA. Staged at Graceworks Church on February 21, 2026, LA Low and Slow 2026 brought together 21 competitors across five disciplines and six total rounds. While traditional Rubik's Cube programs often center around standard 3x3 results, this specialized cubing competition focused heavily on big cubes and dodecahedral puzzles, challenging solvers with high-turn endurance and complex algorithmic control across every stage of the championship schedule.

The 4x4x4 Cube contest stood as the only event on the slate with multiple rounds, making it a critical test of consistency. White set the tone early and closed out the final with an average of 36.91 seconds, backed by a best single of 33.01 seconds. Gunner Engelsman pushed the pace to take second place with a 39.39-second average, while Ordway Persyn secured third on the podium at 40.49 seconds. Persyn posted the fastest individual single of the event at 31.19 seconds during the competition, while Engelsman recorded a 37.67 single and a 42.53 average among the round's notable efforts.

White carried that momentum directly into the 5x5x5 Cube, where 18 competitors vied for top honours. Clocking a decisive winning average of 1:00.32 and a single of 59.04 seconds, White kept clear of the chasing pack. Ordway Persyn took the runner-up spot with an average of 1:11.42, and Seth Talbot earned third place with a mark of 1:24.29. The victory cemented White's grip on the mid-sized puzzles and laid the groundwork for an ambitious sweep of the larger hardware awaiting later in the schedule.

The intensity only escalated as the layer count rose in the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube events. White completed the 6x6x6 Cube with a winning average of 1:51.37 and a single of 1:43.39 across a field of 15 competitors, finishing ahead of Persyn's 2:05.63 and Talbot's 2:49.91. In the 7x7x7 Cube, White locked in a fourth gold with an average of 2:49.13 and a single of 2:32.62 among 16 entrants. Persyn once again claimed second place at 3:10.50, and Talbot wrapped up third place with a 3:43.86 average, mirroring the podium trio from the previous round.

In the Megaminx division, Melanie Barber disrupted the narrative with an exceptional display of speed cubing, topping a field of 20 competitors. Barber claimed first place with a winning average of 44.25 seconds, driven by a sharp best single of 39.64 seconds. Gunner Engelsman earned the second step on the podium with an average of 1:02.97, while White completed a busy slate by capturing third place with a time of 1:09.94. The result highlighted Barber's mastery of the twelve-sided puzzle on a day packed with demanding events.

Away from the championship finals, the depth of the field produced major individual milestones that demonstrated the true breadth of the WCA competition. Allan Nabas tackled five events and cut his 6x6x6 Cube personal best down to 4:40.82, an improvement of 28.7 percent, while also dropping his Megaminx mark by 24.4 percent to 3:38.18. Andrew Robinson entered five events, achieving a best finish of sixth in 7x7x7 Cube with a first-ever attempt of 6:17.57 alongside a 20.4 percent reduction in his 6x6x6 Cube best at 4:26.93. Jeremy Falanga logged five events, posting his first 7x7x7 Cube attempt at 9:46.67 and slicing 15.4 percent off his 6x6x6 Cube best to reach 5:38.75. Matthew Robbins concentrated on Megaminx, taking 11th place with a personal best of 2:36.38, which was 14.7 percent faster than his prior record.

First-time event attempts highlighted the courage of solvers branching into larger mechanisms at LA Low and Slow 2026. Bradley Parker completed five events, achieving a 10.1 percent Megaminx drop to 2:19.25 and recording a first-ever 7x7x7 Cube attempt of 10:38.00. Aidan Z. Boudreaux entered five events, taking 10th in 7x7x7 Cube with a first-time mark of 8:01.49 while also logging opening attempts in Megaminx at 2:25.39 and 5x5x5 Cube at 3:04.69. Jax Cressend took on five disciplines, earning ninth in Megaminx and recording first attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 2:28.70, 6x6x6 Cube at 5:59.01, and 7x7x7 Cube at 9:00.82. Gabriel Anthony Nolan made their official speedcubing debut at the gathering, completing their first career Megaminx attempt in 3:51.70 to secure 17th place.

Additional achievements through the qualifying brackets rounded out an active day of competition in Prairieville. Davis Ratliff turned in a 57.07 single and 1:06.30 average in the 4x4x4 Cube, while Jonathan Porter secured a 56.96 single and 1:09.92 average, alongside personal bests in both 6x6x6 Cube at 4:16.20 and 7x7x7 Cube at 6:16.21. Steven Domangue posted first-ever official marks in 4x4x4 Cube at 2:17.82 and 5x5x5 Cube at 5:49.46, and Khorram Ghaedi reached fourth place in 4x4x4 Cube while logging first attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:28.85 and Megaminx at 4:11.59.

By the time the final awards were distributed, competitors from the United States had swept all 15 podium positions available across the five disciplines. The decisive multi-event triumph by White, combined with Barber's standout Megaminx victory and widespread personal breakthroughs across the board, established LA Low and Slow 2026 as a premier showcase of endurance and precision for the Louisiana speedcubing community in 2026.