Minxing in Memphis 2025

Six-hundredths of a second decided the premier event of the weekend as 69 competitors gathered in Memphis, Tennessee, USA on February 8, 2025. Held at the DoubleTree Inn, Minxing in Memphis 2025 delivered 11 rounds of high-stakes speedcubing across five diverse disciplines. The featured 3x3x3 Cube final went down to the absolute wire, highlighting how narrow the margins can be at an official WCA competition where every split-second rotation matters.

Daniel Mullen captured the main title in the Rubik's Cube with a razor-thin winning average of 8.31 seconds across the final round. Jared Stinson pushed Mullen to the absolute brink, securing second place with an 8.37 average. Justin Barker completed the podium in third place at 8.91, putting three contenders under the nine-second threshold. Mullen also posted the fastest single time of the event with a 7.31 mark during the three-round battle.

The 3x3 results capped a busy day of speed cubing that saw intense duels across alternate puzzle shapes. In the Pyraminx event, which featured 50 competitors over two rounds, Edward Vakula earned top honours with a winning average of 3.82 seconds and a best single of 3.04. Mullen followed closely behind in second place at 4.07, while Ethan McClain rounded out the top three with an average of 5.19.

Vakula continued his winning form at the tables by topping the Clock standings as well. Navigating two rounds among 36 competitors, he posted a 4.91 winning average and a single of 4.50 seconds. Katie Hull took the runner-up spot with a 5.22 average, while Justin Barker claimed another podium place by finishing third with a 5.47 mark. The quick mechanical turnarounds in Clock provided some of the day's sharpest action.

Katie Hull dominated the big-cube category, securing the victory in the single-round 4x4x4 Cube competition against 49 competitors. Hull finished with a winning average of 28.50 seconds and the fastest single of the round at 26.16. Jared Stinson claimed second place with a 32.18 average, while Field Noble took third with a time of 37.75, showing great control on the four-layer puzzle.

Jared Stinson claimed his own victory in the 12-sided Megaminx event, an endurance-testing puzzle that spanned three rounds and 37 competitors. Stinson won with an impressive average of 40.18 seconds and a low single of 35.26. Daniel Mullen added yet another medal to his collection by placing second with a 53.45 average, followed by Ethan McClain in third place at 54.84.

Away from the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the tournament schedule. Beckett Noble cut their Clock personal best down by 58 percent to 25.18 seconds while also attempting the 4x4x4 Cube for the first time with a 4:53.52. Xander Smith improved their Clock personal best by 56.4 percent to 7.84 seconds and entered five separate events. Oliver Stanley Ballard registered a massive 46.5 percent personal best improvement in Pyraminx with a 6.73, while also making initial official attempts in both Megaminx at 3:38.00 and 4x4x4 Cube at 3:02.64. India Gabrielle Willis slashed her Megaminx personal best by 45 percent to 2:09.29 and achieved a 38.7 percent drop in 4x4x4 Cube down to 1:17.95.

Other competitors took on brand-new puzzles and first-time tournaments with exceptional drive. Julian McDevitt logged first-ever official attempts in Megaminx at 2:16.88 and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:19.14 while setting a 17 percent personal best in 3x3x3 Cube at 27.50 seconds. Ryan Kennelly tackled five events, trying Clock for the first time with a 47.68 and dropping his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 30.3 percent to 1:12.97. Wesley Stork stepped up for his first WCA competition, recording initial marks across four events including a 13.87 single in 3x3x3 Cube and a 10.45 in Pyraminx. Owen Rice also made his tournament debut, taking on three events with first-ever marks of 18.53 in 3x3x3 Cube and 12.27 in Pyraminx.

The full slate of 11 rounds tested concentration and technique across all disciplines throughout the gathering in Memphis. All 15 podium places across the five events were claimed by competitors representing the USA, closing out a memorable day of racing against the timer. Minxing in Memphis 2025 concluded as a showcase of tight margins, breakout individual solves, and pure determination as the community looks forward to the next season of cubing competition.