Ohio State Winter 2025

Inside the Ohio Union in Columbus, Ohio, USA, solving stations stayed occupied across two intense days of speedcubing. As January 18 and 19 unfolded, tables were lined with hardware ranging from compact mini cubes to imposing high-order layers, while judges kept strict watch over timers and scorecards. The atmosphere inside the bustling venue balanced rapid-fire turning with quiet concentration, drawing a dedicated contingent of 78 competitors eager to test themselves across 11 distinct events and 22 rounds in this early 2025 gathering.

While standard speeds always draw attention, Ohio State Winter 2025 placed substantial spotlight on niche puzzles and long-form disciplines. Blindfolded events pushed mental endurance to the forefront, requiring total memorisation before hands even began to move. In 5x5x5 Blindfolded, Rafael Sultanaliev stood alone as the sole solver to register a successful completion, securing victory with a single mark of 19:28.00 against an unforgiving field where every other competitor recorded a DNF. Luke Garrett took top honours in 4x4x4 Blindfolded, earning the win behind a single time of 4:19.06 over runner-up Jason Vindvamara and Sultanaliev.

The specialised geometric challenges also gave specialists plenty of room to shine. Square-1 saw Evan Wright navigate intricate shape-shifting alignments across two rounds to capture the title with an average of 7.54, highlighted by a best single of 6.96. Meanwhile, the Skewb tournament delivered swift corner twists, where Gabriel Gowman claimed the gold medal with a winning average of 3.02 and a fastest effort of 2.38. These non-standard formats offered a stark contrast to standard layers, rewarding solvers who invested deep preparation into unconventional mechanics.

Big cube prowess was on display as well across the weekend schedule. In the 6x6x6 Cube final, Ethan Cho delivered smooth turning to take the top step of the podium with a 1:28.44 mean, backed by a quick single of 1:16.44. Jack Pfeifer followed in second with 1:31.13, while Garrett rounded out the podium at 1:32.70. Pfeifer earned his own victory in 7x7x7 Cube, putting together a winning mean of 2:08.29 along with a 1:57.26 single to establish command over the largest layered puzzle contested at the meet.

Beyond the title fights, the competition floor was defined by personal breakthroughs and ambitious debuts that the final leaderboards rarely tell completely. Harrison Caldwell carved out a massive leap on 2x2x2 Cube, cutting his personal best to 3.63, a performance 58.4 percent faster than his prior mark. Aiden Zangmeister chopped 38.3 percent off his Skewb best to reach 8.00, while Sean McCarthy sliced his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 36.7 percent down to 4.59. Isaac Lee took on eight different events, earning an 11th-place finish in Square-1 with a personal best of 10.27 that was 38 percent faster than before, while also logging his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:14.51.

Other solvers expanded their repertoire with new event debuts and heavy multi-event schedules. Colin McCarthy entered five categories, recording his first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube with a 6:24.67 while also improving his 6x6x6 Cube best by 25.5 percent to 3:32.44. Shane Carlisle stepped to the table across seven events, registering first-ever marks in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:12.82, 3x3x3 One-Handed at 50.12, and Skewb at 6.81. Benjamin Fox tackled nine disciplines, debuting on Square-1 at 2:25.82, while Henry Young made his official WCA competition debut by posting a 36.92 in 3x3x3 Cube and a 10.03 in 2x2x2 Cube.

Garrett put together an exceptional run across multiple standard events, sweeping both small and mid-sized puzzles. In 2x2x2 Cube, he locked up the win with a 1.31 final average and a 1.17 single, heading a podium that featured Xavier Ye in second at 1.76 and Pfeifer in third at 1.79. The 4x4x4 Cube saw Garrett post a winning average of 24.14, while he edged out Pfeifer in 5x5x5 Cube by taking gold with 48.78 against Pfeifer's 49.00. Adding to his hardware haul, Garrett topped 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 10.74, staying ahead of Jacob Dyland Bennett and Jacob Nobili.

The classic Rubik's Cube drew the weekend's largest field, with 76 entrants battling through three rounds of speed cubing action. Garrett maintained his dominant form to secure the 3x3 results title, posting a winning average of 5.83 and a tournament-best single of 5.14 in the final round. Pfeifer finished as runner-up with a 7.16 average, while Bennett claimed third place with 7.34. Across every podium spot awarded during the cubing competition, United States competitors captured all 37 available positions.

With 11 disciplines completed and dozens of personal milestones achieved, Ohio State Winter 2025 highlighted both the broad reach of multi-event specialists and the steady progression of newcomers. The action in Columbus demonstrated the full spectrum of speedcubing, setting a high competitive standard for the community as the season moves forward.