Michigan Mini 29 2025

Inside the Plymouth Arts and Recreation Center, the sharp clicks of puzzle mechanisms and the rhythmic slap of hands hitting timing mats set a brisk tempo for the day. Tables filled quickly as competitors inspected scrambles, calibrated their turning speed, and settled into focused competition routines. Held in Plymouth, Michigan, USA on March 13, 2025, the gathering brought together a tight-knit field ready to tackle a distinctive lineup of challenges. With a compact schedule of three disciplines running across six rounds, every turn mattered from the morning heats to the finals.

The single-day cubing competition, officially designated as Michigan Mini 29 2025, drew 29 competitors eager to test their form on the official stage. While compact in total attendance, the event offered high-stakes competition across the classic Rubik's Cube, Clock, and the massive 7x7x7 Cube. For several seasoned campaigners, the tournament served as an ideal platform to reaffirm their mastery, showcasing reliable technique built through years of dedication to speedcubing at the highest levels.

The 3x3x3 Cube contest stood at the center of the day, drawing the full field of 29 entrants across three rounds of intense action. Established frontrunner Stanley Chapel delivered a commanding performance to secure the title, finishing with a winning average of 7.02 seconds in the final round. Chapel also delivered the fastest single solve of the entire discipline at 5.36 seconds, along with an earlier round single of 6.43 and an average of 7.40. The 3x3 results confirmed a dominant showing from the experienced campaigner.

Chasing Chapel in the main event was Jack Pfeifer, who secured second place on the podium with a solid 8.49 average, having earlier posted a 6.48 single and a 7.70 average. Ansel de Jong captured third place with an average of 9.31, backed by impressive personal marks including an 8.91 single and a 9.38 average during the competition. Further down the rounds, Justin Sui notched an 8.55 single and a 12.49 average, while Keenan Darkins registered an 11.33 single and a 12.67 average, contributing to a vibrant board of personal milestones.

Before taking the runner-up spot in the main event, Jack Pfeifer authored the defining performance of the big cubes in the 7x7x7 Cube final. Navigating the intricate layers of the seven-layer puzzle, Pfeifer claimed victory with an average of 2:08.52 and a session-best single of 2:05.66 among 14 competitors. Stanley Chapel followed in second place with a mark of 2:14.56, while James Hildreth earned third place with a steady 2:57.42. The result gave Pfeifer top honors in the day's most demanding physical puzzle at Michigan Mini 29 2025.

The Clock event delivered equally dramatic action across its two rounds of play, featuring 17 competitors adjusting pins and wheels in rapid sequences. Cole Shaft demonstrated exceptional consistency to capture first place, recording a winning average of 5.39 seconds alongside the best single solve of the discipline at 4.12 seconds. Jack Pfeifer completed a remarkable triple-podium day by securing second place with a 6.55 average, while Keenan Darkins rounded out the top three by claiming third place with a 7.14 average.

Away from the top of the podium, the tournament produced significant breakthroughs across the field. Jet Shaft posted an outstanding performance, lowering his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 41.74 seconds, an improvement of 18.7 percent, while also dropping his Clock best to 14.47 seconds, which was 10.5 percent faster than before. Bryce Moore cut 18.4 percent off his previous standard in the 3x3x3 Cube by logging a new personal best of 10.95 seconds. Ryan Dunning took on 3 events, recording his first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube with a time of 6:54.31 and achieving a 14.9 percent improvement in Clock with a 16.67 single. Jonah Dowell also tackled 3 events, posting a first attempt of 5:58.02 on the 7x7x7 Cube while improving his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 9.3 percent to 11.08 seconds.

The progress continued across various disciplines as Andrew Lloyd improved his 7x7x7 Cube personal best by 11.1 percent to 4:00.22, finishing 8th in the event. Matthew Liu achieved a best finish of 6th in the 7x7x7 Cube with a new personal best of 3:45.33, shaving 6 percent off his prior mark. Ben Scheck registered a Clock single of 18.26 in his first ever attempt at the event, while improving his 3x3x3 Cube mark to 11.86 seconds, an 8.6 percent drop. Camden Kehoe also found extra pace, recording a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 23.67 seconds, which was 7.5 percent faster than his prior record.

Newcomers also made their presence felt on the tournament floor, highlighted by Owen Frum who entered his first WCA competition, tackling 3 events and logging debut marks of 16.53 in 3x3x3 Cube and 31.82 in Clock alongside a 14th-place finish in 7x7x7 Cube. With United States competitors capturing all 9 available podium spots, the event illustrated the robust depth present across the local speed cubing circuit. The action at Michigan Mini 29 2025 closed out a memorable day of racing in Plymouth, leaving competitors with fresh benchmarks as the season moves forward.