Miami Valley Mini 2025

A total of 21 competitors gathered in Oxford, Ohio, USA on February 9, 2025, turning the Engineering Building into a hotbed of tactical precision across 11 rounds of action. While the elite standard was evident on every table, the event served as a major platform for fresh talent and event debuts. For several participants stepping onto the stage at Miami Valley Mini 2025, the gathering represented a pivotal moment in their journey, underscoring how accessible and competitive the speedcubing circuit remains as the 2025 season gains momentum.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed final delivered one of the standout performances of the day, with Luke Garrett capturing first place behind an average of 9.23 seconds and a best single of 7.82 seconds. Garrett held off Brian Johnson, who secured the runner-up spot with an average of 10.15, while Carter Kucala locked up third on an 11.28 average. As fans tracked the 3x3 results across the afternoon, the technical precision demanded by single-handed Rubik's Cube solving kept the 19 competitors in the bracket pushing for every possible tenth of a second.

Garrett returned to the spotlight in Pyraminx, claiming his second gold of the competition by recording an average of 2.10 seconds and a low single of 1.72 across three rounds. The race for the top spot was decided by the slimmest possible margin, as Carson Clark finished in second place with a 2.11 average, just one hundredth of a second behind Garrett. Simon Kellum rounded out the podium positions with a steady 2.44 average across the final five solves.

In the Clock event, Carter Kucala set the pace with an elite winning average of 5.00 seconds, bolstered by the day's best single of 4.26 seconds across two rounds of play. Simon Kellum earned his second podium of the weekend by taking second place with an average of 6.56, while Evan Brown claimed third with a mark of 7.27. Kucala's dominance on the dials highlighted a balanced schedule of five events that tested solving disciplines far beyond the standard puzzle.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors made substantial breakthroughs that defined the spirit of the weekend. Joey Reindl dropped his Pyraminx personal best down to 11.58 seconds, an improvement of 17.8 percent over his previous mark of 14.09. Elliott Perkins delivered drops across multiple events, cutting his 3x3x3 Fewest Moves personal best to 28 moves for a 15.2 percent improvement and taking his Megaminx mark down 6.8 percent to 58.25 seconds. Andrew Sotto also took a major leap in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, finishing 11th with a personal best of 48 moves that was 9.4 percent faster than his prior record.

First-time event attempts added another layer of intrigue to the tournament floor. Ethan Chapman took on both Pyraminx and Clock for the first time in his career, logging marks of 13.83 and 21.99 seconds respectively. Connor Poto entered four events and made his official debut in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a mark of 51 to finish 16th. Garrett Hadaway improved his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 6.2 percent to 18.95 seconds, Jacob Dyland Bennett registered a new Megaminx personal best of 46.72, and Braden Richards took sixth place in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves.

The multi-layered Megaminx contest saw Lucy Grace Bryson secure top honors with a tournament-winning average of 37.83 seconds and a best single solve of 36.22 across two rounds. Zeke Mackay claimed second place with an average of 38.56, while Luke Garrett earned another podium spot by taking third place with a 38.84 average. The 12-sided puzzle drew 15 competitors and produced some of the tightest turnarounds of the entire afternoon program.

Strategic discipline took center stage in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, where Evan Brown captured victory with a superb winning average of 22.67 moves, supported by a round-low single solve of 21. Carter Kucala added another medal to his haul with a second-place average of 23.00, and Brian Johnson collected third with 24.33 moves. The single-round battle capped off a successful day of speed cubing in Ohio.

All 15 podium places across the five disciplines went to competitors representing the USA, closing out Miami Valley Mini 2025 on a high note for the domestic field. From veteran solvers establishing authority to debutants setting their initial marks on the national stage, the gathering demonstrated the depth present across every event. As these competitors look toward future dates on the WCA competition schedule, the progress achieved in Oxford sets a strong foundation for the remainder of the year.