Land of Lincoln 2024

A razor-thin margin in the 2x2x2 Cube final delivered the sharpest drama of the day at Land of Lincoln 2024, where Jeremiah Storm captured the title by a mere one-hundredth of a second. Storm concluded the two-round event with a 3.21 winning average against Elijah Ackerman, who placed second at 3.22, followed closely by Charles Bois at 3.25. Storm sealed the top spot with a best single of 2.94 across the 109-player field. The tight battle served as the centerpiece for a full day of action on August 10, 2024, bringing together 128 competitors to the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield, Illinois, USA.

The 3x3x3 Cube drew the largest lineup of the meet, featuring 125 competitors across three rounds of Rubik's Cube competition. Justin Barker secured victory in the premier event, posting a decisive winning average of 8.23 and logging a best single of 6.37. Elijah Ackerman claimed the runner-up position with an 8.97 mark, while Edward Vakula rounded out the podium in third with an average of 9.74. Barker was the only solver in the final round to remain entirely under the eight-and-a-half-second barrier, highlighting a disciplined display of classic speedcubing.

Elijah Ackerman took center stage across several other brackets, capturing two titles at Land of Lincoln 2024. In the Skewb event, which drew 83 entrants across two rounds, Ackerman secured first place with an average of 5.02 and a best single of 4.06, narrowly edging Jeremiah Storm, who took second at 5.09, and Justin Barker, who claimed third at 5.30. Ackerman also topped the 66-person field in Clock, delivering a winning average of 3.99 alongside a single of 3.67, finishing ahead of Charles Bois at 5.10 and Justin Barker at 5.17.

The side events featured equally sharp performances. In Pyraminx, Edward Vakula earned the title over 94 competitors with an average of 3.91 and a single of 3.53, leading Leah Hamende at 4.40 and Luke Pearson at 4.47 across two rounds. Meanwhile, the Megaminx division was decided across a single round of 45 solvers, where Lucy Grace Bryson earned first place with a winning average of 43.80 and a best single of 41.62. Javier Gonzalez-Napoleoni followed in second place with an average of 56.96, and Garrett Hadaway secured third with a 58.31 average.

Beyond the title deciders, the tournament saw remarkable individual progress across the roster. Avery Gadbury entered six events and logged a Clock personal best of 13.09, shaving 67.2 percent off a prior 39.87 mark, while also recording a first ever attempt at Megaminx with 2:06.30 and a Skewb personal best of 12.00. Michael Boyle lowered their Skewb personal best to 10.39, improving by 64.5 percent from 29.30, in addition to logging a first attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with 9.83 and Pyraminx with 17.77. Chayton Lindsey delivered a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 2.16, an improvement of 57.6 percent from 5.09, alongside a Clock debut of 16.98.

Jeremy Birkey dropped their Skewb personal best by 56.3 percent to 3.10 from 7.09, while also securing a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 14.81 and a first Clock attempt of 17.20. Jason Stumpe entered six events and took on a first Megaminx attempt of 2:17.44 and Clock attempt of 14.61, while cutting their Skewb personal best down by 55.4 percent to 5.83. Carson Kurtz recorded a Skewb personal best of 9.98, dropping 45.1 percent from 18.19, and registered a first Clock solve of 15.68. Caine Noah improved their Skewb personal best by 43.7 percent to 9.66 and debuted in Clock at 27.89, while Julien Huante-Garcia lowered their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 38.1 percent to 7.59.

Across eleven rounds of competition, the single-day schedule maintained intense energy through all six events. Competitors from the United States collected all 18 podium positions available, proving the depth of the local and regional speed cubing community in the Land of Lincoln. The venue offered a spacious floor for 128 solvers navigating through multiple qualification phases, demanding precision on every turn as round cutoffs approached.

As the final timers were cleared at the Bank of Springfield Center, Land of Lincoln 2024 wrapped up an action-packed day of tournament play. Between Jeremiah Storm snatching the 2x2x2 Cube crown at the line, Justin Barker leading the 3x3 results, and Elijah Ackerman taking a pair of titles, the gathering in Springfield showcased the full breadth of modern WCA competition, setting a strong benchmark for the rest of the 2024 season.