NCSU Wolfpack 2024

Inside the North Carolina State University Talley Student Union, the rhythm of rotating layers set the pace for a full day of puzzle solving. Rows of timing mats lined the hall as competitors checked their alignments, adjusted tensions, and took their seats under the venue lights. The one-day gathering in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA on November 10, 2024 brought together a packed room of solvers ready to tackle everything from lightweight side events to the heaviest hardware on the schedule.

Big cubes demand a distinct kind of physical and mental stamina, and the 6x6x6 Cube served as the primary test of attrition at NCSU Wolfpack 2024. Managing the extra layers of a 6x6 requires sustained focus across hundreds of moves, where a single misaligned turn can derail minutes of precise work. With 29 competitors taking on the grueling event, every solve turned into an exercise in patience and finger endurance as the field worked through center building, edge pairing, and the final 3x3 stage.

Kavin Rajendran set the standard in the 6x6x6 Cube, taking victory with an average of 2:01.37 and securing the round best single of 1:55.06. The battle at the top remained tight through every solve, with Fiona Bao finishing close behind in second place with an average of 2:01.93. Bhuvanesh Ganta locked down third position on the podium with an average of 2:05.80, concluding a strong display of big cube handling in a single high-stakes round.

The 4x4x4 Cube delivered another intense showcase of multi-layered solving, featuring 56 competitors across two rounds. Ashten Jampayas earned the title with a decisive winning average of 31.06, powered by a fast single of 27.42. Nicolás Sánchez followed in second place with an average of 31.47, while 6x6 champion Kavin Rajendran claimed third with 33.00. The contest highlighted how clean transitions and hardware mastery can shave vital tenths of a second off complex parity cases.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several solvers achieved massive progress across the board. Mia Rossi chopped her Skewb personal best down by 51.3 percent to 10.20, lowered her Clock mark by 23 percent to 21.90, and took her 3x3 time to 49.41 across 3 events entered here. Austin McDonald cut his 4x4x4 best by 44.8 percent to 1:07.11 and improved in 3x3 to 19.21. Tony Rossi knocked 46.1 percent off his Skewb standard with a mark of 10.87 alongside a 14.76 Clock effort. Ryan Scott Murray achieved a 43.3 percent improvement in Clock with an 11.55, took his 3x3 mark down to 12.22, and made a first ever attempt at Skewb with an 8.11.

That forward momentum extended across multiple debuts and milestone marks. Mikael Zulueta entered 5 events, earning a best finish of 7th in Skewb while improving his 6x6x6 time by 24.3 percent to 3:03.00, his 3x3x3 mark by 15.7 percent to 11.75, and his Skewb time to 3.73. Vee Dennison logged a first ever attempt at Clock with 35.55, a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 with 1:12.45, and improved their Skewb mark by 35.4 percent to 9.11. Jack Harvey tackled 4 events, recording a first ever attempt at Clock with 15.45, a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 with 1:44.75, and an 8.22 in their first Skewb attempt. First-time competitor Jackson Perry Edens made a first ever attempt at Skewb with 6.05 and a 13.45 in 3x3.

In the classic 3x3x3 Cube, which drew all 78 competitors across three full rounds, Ashten Jampayas returned to the top step to secure a second victory at NCSU Wolfpack 2024. Jampayas posted a winning average of 6.77 in the final, complemented by a round single of 6.05. Easan Peacock finished runner-up with an average of 7.51, while Nicolás Sánchez earned third place with a 7.99 average. The classic Rubik's Cube bracket stood out as the centerpiece of this WCA competition, delivering rapid turnouts and tight margins throughout the 3x3 results.

The remaining events rounded out the day with speed cubing variety across different mechanisms. Jakub Zytka captured the Skewb crown with a 2.96 average and a 1.90 single across two rounds of 57 competitors, leading Zachary Ochs at 3.69 and Willem A. Schmidt at 4.38. In Clock, Fiona Bao secured the top spot with a 4.22 average and a 3.25 single over 49 competitors, ahead of Anvesh Reddy Chinnapu with 5.16 and Breylan Ouellette with 6.85. With 10 total rounds across five events, the speedcubing community concluded an energetic cubing competition that tested both sprint execution and big-puzzle endurance.

As the timers reset and the Talley Student Union cleared, the Raleigh meeting illustrated the depth required across contemporary speedcubing disciplines. From the long, taxing turns of the 6x6 to the brief sprints of Skewb and Clock, solvers pushed through every stage of competition with focus and resolve, setting a competitive tone for the remainder of the 2024 calendar.