Mill Creek 2023

A total of 114 competitors gathered for a packed day of twisting puzzles as Mill Creek 2023 brought high-stakes speedcubing action to Henry M. Jackson High School. The June 10, 2023 meeting in Mill Creek, Washington, USA featured 11 rounds across six distinct categories, challenging participants across small layers, giant cubes, and specialized mechanical puzzles. Across the gymnasium tables, the assembly demonstrated the deep mechanical mastery and precise finger control demanded by modern competitive formats. From start to finish, the intense one-day schedule delivered drama across every stage of the tournament bracket.

The traditional Rubik's Cube drew the largest crowd of the gathering, bringing 111 entrants into the three-round battle. Precision handling and efficient lookahead defined the premier contest, where Sameer Aggarwal claimed top honors. Aggarwal put together a tournament-winning average of 7.17 seconds in the final, punctuated by an outstanding 6.38 single solve. Timothy Castle secured second place on the podium with an 8.64 average, while Jonathan Truchot took third place at 8.77 seconds. The official 3x3 results underlined the exceptional standard required to survive the multi-round cutoffs in Washington.

Beyond the classic puzzle, Aggarwal dominated the afternoon across multiple cube sizes. In the 4x4x4 Cube, where parities and complex edge pairing test solver efficiency, Aggarwal took the title with a 29.12 winning average and a 23.77 single. India's Rituraj Sohoni followed in second place with an average of 30.61, while Castle picked up another podium spot in third with 32.15 seconds. The 74-competitor field showcased how fluid speed cubing fundamentals translate directly to bigger layers.

Aggarwal extended his winning run into the heavy hardware events, taking gold in both 5x5x5 Cube and 6x6x6 Cube. In the 5x5x5 Cube, he logged a 54.50 average and a single of 49.98 to lead the 52 competitors, outpacing Castle's 1:02.30 and Ash Black's 1:03.48. When the 30 contenders stepped up for the 6x6x6 Cube, Aggarwal delivered again, registering a 1:41.78 winning average with a best single of 1:39.77. Castle took the silver spot at 1:50.19, and Black earned another bronze with a 1:54.56 result.

Away from the top steps, the heart of this WCA competition belonged to racers making dramatic leaps in personal performance. Ben Hitz completed five events and produced a huge improvement on the big cubes, posting a 6x6x6 Cube personal best of 3:24.55 that was 45.8 percent faster than his previous mark of 6:17.45, alongside a first official Clock attempt of 11.05. Lucas Corcoro cut his 3x3x3 Cube best down to 22.54 seconds from 38.24, an improvement of 41.1 percent, and also made his debut in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 2:41.45. Abhinav Sai Bonagiri shaved 40.3 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube mark with a new 3.89 best, while Quinn Johnson dropped his 4x4x4 Cube personal best to 1:28.01, slicing 37 percent off his past 2:19.73.

The progress continued across all disciplines as solvers tackled unfamiliar events for the first time. Blake Koski cut his 2x2x2 Cube best by 34.2 percent to 2.39 seconds and logged his first Clock attempt at 22.04 seconds. Holden Pfeiffer notched a 23.1 percent improvement with a 3.89 in 2x2x2 Cube and logged maiden official attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:50.52 and 5x5x5 Cube at 3:57.86. Zach Davis completed all six events on the schedule, setting a 3.91 in 2x2x2 Cube and recording first marks in Clock at 58.51 and 5x5x5 Cube at 5:20.31. Andrew Lee also expanded his profile, recording first-time attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 3.14, 4x4x4 Cube at 1:06.68, and Clock at 14.48.

The 2x2x2 Cube competition featured 99 competitors and saw Castle claim a victory of his own. Balancing turning speed with quick inspections, Castle posted a 2.28 average and a 1.35 single to secure first place ahead of Aggarwal's 2.52 average. Dilshawn Sidhu of Canada rounded out the international podium in third with an average of 2.99 seconds. The fast-paced short rounds kept the venue energized between the longer multi-layer finals.

In the Clock division, Greyson James mastered the mechanical dial puzzle to take the title over 47 entrants. James posted a 6.01 winning average and a 5.06 best single solve to lead the two-round event. Mihir A. Rai earned second place with a 7.28 average, while Ash Black took third place at 8.38 seconds. The tight results closed out a comprehensive showcase of dexterity and mental endurance across all six categories.

Across the full slate of 11 rounds, Mill Creek 2023 offered a complete demonstration of northwest speedcubing talent. From the four-event dominance of Aggarwal to the remarkable personal time drops achieved by emerging solvers, the gathering highlighted the deep variety within the sport. With 16 of the 18 podium spots earned by host nation competitors, the day at Henry M. Jackson High School finished as a standout cubing competition for the 2023 season.