Lincoln Library Cubing 2024

Henry Lichner delivered a masterclass in Stevensville, Michigan, USA, taking top honours in three separate disciplines on July 13, 2024. His dominant performance spearheaded an absolute podium sweep across every event on the schedule, ensuring all eighteen available top-three positions belonged to the United States. Lichner claimed his first victory in the classic Rubik's Cube, recording a winning average of 6.84 seconds alongside a best single solve of 6.15 seconds to outpace a competitive field of forty-nine solvers across three rounds of play.

The 2024 event brought fifty competitors to Lincoln Township Public Library for a packed single-day cubing competition featuring eleven rounds across six events. Lichner added two more titles in the bigger puzzles, prevailing in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 27.45 second average and a best single of 21.13 seconds over two rounds, then claiming the 5x5x5 Cube title with a winning average of 43.61 seconds and a single of 39.49 seconds in a direct final.

In the flagship event, the 3x3 results demonstrated strong depth behind Lichner's winning mark. Nate Abeleda secured second place on the podium with a 7.33 second average across five solves, while Elliott Perkins earned the bronze spot with an average of 9.03 seconds. Both chasers showcased exceptional consistency throughout three intense stages of elimination, giving the host nation a decisive lockout at the top of the standings.

Sprint events brought equal intensity, led by Kevin Casey in the 2x2x2 Cube. Casey secured the gold with a lightning-fast average of 1.85 seconds, bolstered by a 1.29 second best single during the two-round contest. Abeleda collected his second silver medal of the day with an average of 2.50 seconds, while Perkins picked up another third-place finish with a 3.03 second average in a rapid final.

Perkins soon found the top step of the podium in Pyraminx, turning in an outstanding 3.12 second average and a best single of 2.68 seconds to capture the title. Sebastian Carrillo followed in second place with an average of 4.41 seconds, edging Luke Pearson who took third with 4.44 seconds. In Skewb, Liam Cook edged out a tight field of thirty-three entrants, posting a 4.37 second winning average to beat Carrillo's 4.47 seconds and Perkins's 4.60 seconds.

Away from the podium ceremonies, numerous competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule. Owen Florinchi logged a personal best single of 4.73 seconds on the 2x2x2 Cube, an improvement of 59.2 percent over his previous mark of 11.60, while also recording his first ever attempt at Skewb in 15.48 seconds and Pyraminx in 15.24 seconds. Riley Cooper Schoonhoven slashed 29.3 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 10.40 second solve, alongside his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:15.89 and 5x5x5 Cube in 3:02.87. Dylan Affholter dropped his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 22.30 seconds, a 49.4 percent jump from 44.06, and logged his first official 2x2x2 Cube solve at 11.32 seconds. Elliott Momeyer improved his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 14.1 percent to 1:27.43 and made his first attempts at Pyraminx in 13.68 seconds and 2x2x2 Cube in 5.73 seconds.

Progress continued throughout the ranks as John Hruska notched a 25.1 percent improvement in Pyraminx with a personal best of 6.91 seconds, cut his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 16 percent to 45.63 seconds, and completed his first 5x5x5 Cube solve in 2:27.90. Elijah Miller advanced his Skewb standard by 37.4 percent down to 4.84 seconds, improved his 3x3x3 Cube best to 15.63 seconds, and took sixth place overall in the Skewb event. Jacob Moran entered his first WCA competition, tackling six different events and posting initial marks of 4.54 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube, 10.22 seconds in Skewb, and 2:05.00 in 5x5x5 Cube. Luke Fisher also made his official debut at this WCA competition, logging his first attempts with 6.50 seconds on 2x2x2 Cube, 16.24 seconds on 3x3x3 Cube, and 16.34 seconds on Skewb.

Ethan Cho and Andrew Moy mirrored each other on the podiums in both larger puzzles, securing silver and bronze behind Lichner. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Cho took second with a 31.03 second average while Moy followed at 32.76 seconds. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Cho captured second with an average of 54.47 seconds and Moy registered 55.95 seconds for third place, solidifying their status among the top big-cube solvers in the regional speed cubing scene.

Lincoln Library Cubing 2024 proved to be an exceptional gathering that highlighted the growing speedcubing talent in the Midwest. With fifty competitors testing their skills across six events, the tournament showcased seasoned champions setting benchmarks alongside emerging solvers making notable strides on the official stage as another memorable season of competition unfolded.