Mini-sota Wednesday Qualifier 2025

Thirteen competitors gathered at the Heritage Library in Lakeville, Minnesota, USA on April 2, 2025, for a focused showcase of large cubes and memory solving. The Mini-sota Wednesday Qualifier 2025 offered an unconventional schedule dedicated entirely to big puzzles and blindfolded execution. Across four intense rounds, the event stepped away from standard 3x3 results to test stamina, spatial awareness, and memory. Speedcubing enthusiasts took on the 5x5x5 Cube, 7x7x7 Cube, and 5x5x5 Blindfolded in a single concentrated evening of high-level puzzle solving.

The 5x5x5 Blindfolded contest presented the ultimate test of memory and concentration. In an event where solving without sight requires total recall of complex piece layouts, Andy Wong emerged as the sole competitor to log a successful single solve in the final standings. Wong secured victory with a best single time of 10:40.00, navigating the massive puzzle blindfolded. Walker Welch also secured a podium position by registering a time of 20:10.00 to finish in second place, while Andrew Surine rounded out the top three finishers with a DNF result.

The largest puzzle of the meet, the 7x7x7 Cube, challenged twelve solvers across a single round demanding sustained speed cubing rhythm. Tyler Johnson proved exceptional across the multi-layer puzzle, taking the title with a winning average of 2:39.20 and recording the fastest single solve of the event at 2:33.69. Walker Welch delivered consistent execution to claim second place on the podium with a 3:00.58 average, while Kaius Young secured third place with an average of 3:27.46 in a competitive field.

In the 5x5x5 Cube, the action stretched across two rounds, giving solvers an opportunity to refine their turn speeds and piece tracking. Kaius Young captured the top spot on the podium after posting a winning average of 53.86 in the final, bolstered by a best single solve of 52.64. Tyler Johnson took the second step on the podium with an average of 58.55, having also logged a preliminary round average of 1:00.27 and a single of 57.29. Walker Welch earned third place with a finals average of 1:07.78, adding to an impressive collection of podium finishes at the meet.

Beyond the title fights, several competitors delivered standout personal breakthroughs across the scorecards. Jonah Boisclair recorded a major improvement in the 7x7x7 Cube, dropping his personal best to 3:33.51, which was 7.6 percent faster than his previous mark of 3:50.96, while also setting a 5x5x5 Cube best single of 1:10.46 on the way to a sixth-place finish in 7x7x7. Joseph Ong cut his 7x7x7 Cube personal best down to 3:23.24, an improvement of 7.1 percent over his previous 3:38.89, and finished fourth overall in the 5x5x5 Cube. Meanwhile, Aiden Fremgen took on two events and registered a first ever attempt in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:50.72 single and a first ever attempt at the 7x7x7 Cube of 6:09.14 to claim tenth place.

First-time event entries continued to define the depth of the roster throughout the evening. Austin Sabers entered two events, posting a first ever attempt in the 7x7x7 Cube of 4:53.95 for a seventh-place finish, alongside a 5x5x5 Cube average of 1:52.00 and a 1:40.46 single. Caleb Axvig took on the 5x5x5 Cube and completed a first ever attempt in the event with a time of 1:51.30. Lisa Kucala tackled two events and logged a first ever attempt at the 7x7x7 Cube of 9:23.71, finishing eleventh, while Andrew Tyberg earned a ninth-place finish in the 7x7x7 Cube and Shain Papalotl Longbehn finished eighth in 7x7x7 while producing a 5x5x5 Cube single of 1:30.64.

The 5x5x5 Cube rounds also saw a string of impressive results across the bracket. Andy Wong clocked a 1:06.00 single and a 1:13.47 average, demonstrating great versatility between sighted solving and blindfolded mastery. Andrew Surine secured a single of 1:41.39 alongside a 1:49.40 average, while Lisa Kucala achieved a single of 3:20.35. Each of these results added depth to the competition ledger, giving solvers a platform to push their times on larger versions of the classic Rubik's Cube.

The Mini-sota Wednesday Qualifier 2025 concluded as a specialized WCA competition that gave big cube specialists and blindfolded solvers the spotlight. In total, all nine podium placements across the three disciplines were claimed by competitors representing the USA. With swift turn speeds, grueling memory work, and major personal bests achieved, this mid-week cubing competition in Lakeville served as a definitive showcase of big-puzzle talent for the 2025 season.