Newark's On Track 2023

Inside the bustling ballroom at the DoubleTree Newark Penn Station, tables were lined with timers, mats, and displays as solvers from across the area assembled for a day of high-stakes competition. The rhythmic click of turning layers echoed through the hall while participants inspected scrambles and settled into their seats. With ninety-five competitors gathering in Newark, New Jersey, USA on August 26, the atmosphere carried the intensity of established regional rivalries. Friends and training partners from local clubs prepared to trade solves across seven disciplines, eager to test their practice under official tournament conditions.

The 2023 season brought heavy anticipation to the main event as solvers took their marks for three rounds of the classic Rubik's Cube. In the final round of the 3x3x3 Cube, Carson Widjaja delivered a dominant performance to take the championship with a winning average of 6.76 seconds, backed by a best single of 6.12 seconds. Widjaja edged out fellow regional standouts Shaun Mack, who took second place with a 7.50 average, and Daniel Karnaukh, who claimed third with a 7.60 mark. The high-level 3x3 results capped thirteen rounds of intense speed cubing action.

The rivalry expanded to the larger puzzles, where Brandon Nunez staged a masterclass in efficiency and precision. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Nunez secured victory with an average of 44.40 seconds and a single of 42.65 seconds, finishing ahead of Benjamin Wei at 49.76 seconds and Daniel Karnaukh at 55.25 seconds. Nunez doubled his gold count in the 6x6x6 Cube, recording a winning average of 1:25.40 and a single of 1:18.37. Wei followed closely in second with an average of 1:28.42, while Livia Kleiner took third place with a 1:41.98 average.

Specialty disciplines showcased fierce contests between versatile solvers. In the Megaminx event, Livia Kleiner captured first place with an impressive 46.17 average and a 39.68 single, leading Carter Williams at 50.86 seconds and Shaun Mack at 54.21 seconds. Williams returned to the spotlight in the Clock tournament, taking the title with a swift 4.37 average and a single of 3.97 seconds. Evan Liu took the second podium spot in Clock with a 5.32 average, while Sula Mareska earned third place with a 5.73 average.

The faster formats delivered razor-thin margins and rapid sequences. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Will Callan claimed the top step of the podium with a winning average of 1.54 seconds and a best single of 1.07 seconds. Kyle Meade took second place averaging 1.69 seconds, while Daniel Karnaukh captured another top-three finish with a 1.86 average. In Square-1, Dylan Chan prevailed with a winning average of 7.78 seconds and a single of 6.96 seconds, narrowly finishing ahead of Zach Ridall with an 8.05 average and Daniel Karnaukh with an 8.06 mark.

Beyond the podium finishes, Newark's On Track 2023 highlighted major personal breakthroughs across the scoreboards. Nikolas Castillo made a dramatic jump in the 2x2x2 Cube, cutting his personal best to 1.41 seconds, which was 63.1 percent faster than his prior mark, while also posting his first ever official attempt in the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:28.80. Hridhaan Shetty took on seven events and slashed his Square-1 personal best to 13.26 seconds, an improvement of 51.8 percent, alongside his first official 6x6x6 Cube attempt of 4:23.36 and first Clock solve of 14.33 seconds. Maier Khabieh reduced his 2x2x2 Cube best to 1.88 seconds, a 53 percent drop, while Alex J. Barbecho took on all seven events, improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark to 1.94 seconds by 44.9 percent and logging a first Clock solve of 27.51 seconds.

The breakthroughs continued across the roster as competitors expanded their repertoires at this cubing competition. Ian Liong lowered his 2x2x2 Cube best to 1.70 seconds, a 44.8 percent reduction, and took on his first Square-1 solve with a 22.27 mark. Ryan Ward dropped his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 16.12 seconds, 40.5 percent faster than before, while posting a 3.15 in his first 2x2x2 Cube attempt. Ayaan Saxena lowered his Clock personal best to 9.80 seconds, a 39.5 percent improvement, and recorded a 4.07 in his first 2x2x2 Cube solve. JJ Sun entered six events, trimming his Clock mark to 8.69 seconds, an improvement of 31 percent, while registering first career attempts in the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:30.20 and Square-1 at 37.89 seconds.

Every podium spot across the seven events was claimed by United States competitors, wrapping up an intense day of WCA competition. As Newark's On Track 2023 came to a close, the field celebrated a packed schedule of thirteen rounds that tested both sprint speed and deep endurance. Solvers packed up their puzzles with fresh personal benchmarks and new targets to chase in upcoming speedcubing matchups.