NAC Prep in Palisades 2026

Twelve events tested the precision and endurance of the field over a packed weekend schedule. When the final tallies arrived at NAC Prep in Palisades 2026, the unique challenges on the roster took center stage. Hosted at the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York, USA from June 20 to June 21, the tournament drew 93 competitors across 22 rounds. While classic twisty puzzles commanded plenty of attention, the side events and non-standard rotations delivered some of the sharpest drama of the entire gathering.

The 12-sided Megaminx provided one of the defining highlights of the entire WCA competition. Matthew Liong of Indonesia captured first place with an impressive 29.86 winning average, securing a single best of 28.57 along the way. That 29.86 mark established a new Indonesian national record average in the event, marking the only continental or national benchmark rewritten during the tournament. Curtis Chai took second place on the podium with a 40.17 average, followed by Parker Trager in third with 41.15.

Precision mechanics dominated the Clock tables, where Evan Waters claimed top honors. Waters logged a 2.91 winning average and delivered the fastest single of the discipline at 2.22. Aaron Jake Wong followed closely in second with an average of 3.18, while Quinn Maloney secured third at 3.53. In Square-1, Hassan Khanani put on a clinic of shape-shifting efficiency, capturing the title with an average of 5.51 and a round-best single of 4.65, ahead of Ayden Dincher in second with 8.29 and Wong in third with 9.26.

Across the larger twisty puzzles, Brandon Nunez established complete control over the big cube categories. Nunez secured a clean sweep of the three largest events, winning the 5x5x5 Cube in 45.41, the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:23.49 average, and the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:12.41 average. Dincher proved to be a versatile challenger, capturing the runner-up spot behind Nunez in all three disciplines, while Chai claimed bronze in the 5x5x5 Cube, Trager earned third in the 6x6x6 Cube, and Waters placed third in the 7x7x7 Cube.

Away from the top steps of the podium, personal milestones and breakthroughs filled the scorecards across every round. William Schloat took on a massive slate of 12 events, recording his first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube with a time of 6:04.16, making his 6x6x6 Cube debut at 3:28.00, and slicing 66.8% off his Square-1 personal best down to 19.42. Lucas Mandelkorn entered nine events, logging his first 3x3x3 One-Handed result of 48.18, his first 5x5x5 Cube mark of 2:45.73, and shaving 65.5% off his Clock personal best to finish in 19.13. Alexander Ferencz made his first 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt with a 38.65 while improving his Clock personal best by 62.5% to 11.00. Aidan Anderson tackled 10 events, notching a 23rd place finish in 6x6x6 Cube while recording first-time marks in 4x4x4 Cube at 50.86, Pyraminx at 5.77, and Megaminx at 2:02.56.

The progress continued across diverse brackets as competitors embraced new challenges. Ammaar M. Shariff entered six events and finished 14th in 3x3x3 One-Handed, posting first-ever official marks of 15.52 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, 1:14.39 in Megaminx, and 1:13.03 in 5x5x5 Cube. Gregory Kaczynski contested eight events, posting a debut 3x3x3 One-Handed time of 1:05.64, lowering his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 26.4% to 4.13, and dropping his Skewb mark by 26% to 10.66. Stratis Tsimounis logged a first 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt of 31.17, improved his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 26% to 3.01, and trimmed his 5x5x5 Cube mark by 16.7% down to 2:35.04. Caiden Shuman recorded his first official 4x4x4 Cube time of 1:37.44, his first Skewb attempt of 15.24, and dropped 18.4% off his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to reach 14.92.

Traditional Rubik's Cube formats brought intense energy to the floor as well. Aaron Jake Wong triumphed in the 3x3x3 Cube, posting a winning average of 6.55 and the weekend's best single of 5.52 across three rounds. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, Noah Kim took the title with a 9.84 average and a 7.64 single. Curtis Chai added another gold to his collection by winning the 4x4x4 Cube in 24.40. The sprint categories saw Quinn Maloney win Skewb with a 2.22 average, Milan Vincent Andric capture the Pyraminx with 1.87, and Dincher claim the 2x2x2 Cube title in 1.26.

With 35 podium places collected by competitors from the United States and one record-setting performance for Indonesia, NAC Prep in Palisades 2026 wrapped up as a comprehensive showcase of modern speedcubing talent. From the lightning turns of side events to the strategic mastery seen in the 3x3 results, the cubing competition in West Nyack highlighted the depth of speed cubing skill across every category in 2026.