Michigan Mini 15 2024

The Plymouth Arts and Recreation Center was filled with focused intensity on January 29, 2024, as competitors settled behind the timers for an action-packed day of solving. With 34 competitors taking on three distinct events across six total rounds, the venue provided an energetic backdrop for speedcubing enthusiasts gathered in Plymouth, Michigan, USA. The single-day tournament tested agility across puzzles ranging from the shape-shifting Square-1 to the massive layers of the 6x6x6 Cube and the classic Rubik's Cube.

Making it through the stages of Michigan Mini 15 2024 required absolute consistency, especially given the compact schedule and competitive roster. The field of 34 solvers battled across multiple rounds where every fraction of a second determined qualification. Advancing through the brackets demanded precision under pressure, as the qualification cutoffs left little margin for hesitation throughout the preliminary heats.

In the flagship 3x3x3 Cube event, the battle for the top spot was fierce through all three rounds of competition. Germany's Henri Gerber secured the victory with a winning average of 7.87 seconds, backed by a best single solve of 7.57 seconds in the finals. Gerber also turned in notable solves of a 6.95 single and a 7.95 average during the event schedule. Ben Saperstein took second place with an 8.77 final average, alongside a 7.07 single and a 9.27 average, while Ansel de Jong earned third place with a 9.38 average, posting an 8.43 single and 10.67 average across his appearances. These competitive 3x3 results highlighted the deep talent present in Plymouth.

Beyond the top podium finishers, the 3x3x3 Cube contest saw a flurry of strong performances throughout the rounds. Hunter Mackler recorded a 10.10 single and a 10.59 average, while Joel Aber produced a 10.02 single and an 11.01 average. Seth Rowell logged marks of 10.69 for single and 11.82 on average, and James Hildreth registered a 10.89 single alongside an 11.87 average. Ben Zoller achieved a 10.76 single and 12.55 average, followed by Tyler Rose with an 11.79 single and 13.68 average, and Dante Barnes delivering a 12.74 single and 14.21 average.

The broader narrative of this WCA competition belonged to personal milestones across all experience levels. Dante Barnes took on three events at the meet, achieving an 8th-place result in Square-1 where he notched a personal best of 24.99 seconds, an improvement of 49 percent from his previous mark of 49.00 seconds. Barnes also logged his first ever official attempt in the 6x6x6 Cube, finishing in 4:38.12. Sulayman Siddiqi made substantial strides in the 3x3x3 Cube, posting a personal best of 36.29 seconds to eclipse his previous mark of 49.30 by 26.4 percent. Tucker Wright delivered a personal best single of 22.69 seconds, improving by 19.1 percent from 28.03, while Daniel J. Choi registered an 18.21 second personal best, lowering his earlier standard of 21.06 by 13.5 percent.

First-time event appearances also highlighted the depth of the field in Plymouth. James Holowinski, entering his 27th official tournament, tackled his first ever attempt in the 6x6x6 Cube to post a time of 5:20.17 and secure 13th place. César Eduardo Loredo Rubio also made his debut in the 6x6x6 Cube, earning 15th place with an 8:16.37 solve across his three events. Drew Tacey recorded a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 17.04 seconds, cutting 9.9 percent off his previous 18.91 mark, while Jackson Edgell dropped 9 percent to secure a 17.34 personal best single. In their first WCA competition appearances, Giovanni Joseph Zago posted a 35.54 single, Rohit Sabbireddy recorded 35.74, Lyric Leathers clocked 38.94, and Baylor Smith completed his first solve in 44.95.

The 6x6x6 Cube event drew 17 competitors for a demanding single round of big-cube speed cubing. Henri Gerber claimed his second victory of the day with a winning average of 1:39.72 and the round's fastest single at 1:35.41. James Hildreth captured second place for the USA with an average of 2:08.20, while Hunter Mackler took third on the podium with a 2:16.11 average, completing a demanding test of endurance and technique.

Gerber completed his sweep of the meet in the Square-1 event, which featured 12 competitors over two rounds of play. He posted a winning average of 12.96 seconds in the final round and recorded the best single of the event at 11.01 seconds. Hunter Mackler finished in second place with an average of 14.23 seconds, and Justin Sui claimed third place with a 19.35 average. Across all events, competitors from the USA secured six podium spots, while Gerber earned three for Germany.

As the final timers stopped at Michigan Mini 15 2024, the tournament concluded having delivered sharp head-to-head racing and meaningful personal milestones across every bracket. With six fast-paced rounds packed into one day of competition, the gathering stood as a celebration of determination and skill for the regional cubing community heading into the rest of the 2024 season.