Ohio State Summer 2025

The Ohio Union in Columbus, Ohio, USA was alive with focused energy on July 20, 2025, as 77 competitors gathered across 12 fast-paced rounds of play. Inside the spacious university venue, the rhythmic clack of turning plastic echoed off the walls while solving stations remained active throughout the single-day schedule. Families, organizers, and competitors filled the competition hall, bringing a classic speedcubing atmosphere to the heart of the campus. With five distinct disciplines staged across the day, the floor provided an ideal stage for both seasoned frontrunners and eager newcomers testing their skills.

The centerpiece of this WCA competition was the classic 3x3x3 Cube, featuring a deep field of 75 participants across three rounds. Luke Garrett commanded the final round with extraordinary precision, locking down the gold medal with a winning average of 5.93 seconds alongside the day's best single of 5.31 seconds. Jack Pfeifer secured the silver medal with an 8.08 average, while Elliott Perkins rounded out the top tier with an 8.50 mark to claim bronze. The final 3x3 results highlighted elite execution under the bright venue lights.

Luke Garrett was not done with his masterclass on the main stage, returning to capture top honours in the complex 12-sided Megaminx event. Across two rounds that brought together 45 competitors, Garrett posted a winning average of 36.83 seconds and logged the event single of 35.25 seconds. Lucy Grace Bryson mounted a serious challenge to finish second with a 37.74 average, while Jacob Dyland Bennett earned third place with a time of 45.62 seconds, demonstrating exceptional dexterity on the dodecahedron puzzle.

The Pyraminx brought explosive pace to the competition hall, drawing 63 competitors over three hard-fought rounds. Carson Clark (张卡森) delivered an astonishing display of quick-turning accuracy, taking first place with an average of 1.89 seconds and the quickest single of 1.42 seconds. Gabriel Gowman pressed close behind to secure second place with a 1.99 average, and Mark Gowman rounded out the podium in third place with a 2.25 average, completing a thrilling triangular battle.

Gabriel Gowman stepped to the top of the podium in Skewb, navigating a field of 63 solvers over two rounds to claim the title with a 3.51 average and a 2.52 single. The race behind him was settled by hundredths of a second, as Elliott Perkins recorded a 3.63 average to edge out Jack Pfeifer, who claimed bronze with a 3.66 mark. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, where memorisation and spatial recall are paramount, Mason Langenderfer took victory among 26 solvers with a stunning single of 24.91 seconds, besting Jack Pfeifer (45.16) and Elliott Perkins (57.13).

Beyond the championship tier, Ohio State Summer 2025 offered memorable breakthroughs for solvers across the roster. Addison Faith Bettin took on three events and slashed their Pyraminx personal best down to 13.90 seconds, an impressive 62.3 percent faster than before, while also recording a first ever attempt at Skewb with a 10.30. Oscar Marks registered major improvements across three puzzles, including a Skewb personal best of 4.96 seconds that was 58.5 percent faster, alongside a 7.38 Pyraminx best and a 12.61 in the 3x3x3 Cube. Noah Fox posted a huge 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 15.60 seconds, which was 58.9 percent faster than their prior mark, as well as a 6.88 in Pyraminx.

Other competitors took on ambitious schedules across the Columbus venue floor. Sofia Kang entered five events, claiming a best finish of 10th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while logging first ever attempts in Skewb (9.07), Pyraminx (10.24), and Megaminx (2:56.71). Philip Schleich took on five events to reach 11th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, logging first ever attempts in Skewb (12.84) and Megaminx (1:35.00) while improving their Pyraminx mark by 26.5 percent to 7.85 seconds. Greyson Wade completed four disciplines, making first attempts in Megaminx (4:39.63) and Skewb (7.28) while cutting their Pyraminx best by 24.9 percent to 6.41 seconds. Austin Cochran achieved a 43.6 percent cut in Megaminx to 2:11.92, and Vikram Mohan tackled four events, making a first Megaminx attempt of 2:21.28 and cutting their Pyraminx mark by 32.1 percent to 6.60 seconds.

First-time participants also enjoyed their inaugural cubing competition experience on the university stage. Oliver Jordan completed three events in their debut appearance, logging initial tournament marks in Skewb, 3x3x3 Cube, and Pyraminx. Hayden Couch made their debut across two puzzles, posting an opening 6.96 in Pyraminx and 14.48 in the Rubik's Cube. Ishaan Maddu and Eli Hernandez also made their first official competitive marks on the floor, adding their names to the global database and highlighting the continuous influx of talent into speed cubing.

The single-day program demonstrated the strength and variety of the modern competitive circuit, spanning short sprints on the Pyraminx to the demanding mental challenge of blindfolded solving. Competitors from the United States collected all 15 available podium positions across the five scheduled events. With high standards established at the Ohio Union in Columbus, solvers departed with new personal milestones, setting a solid foundation as they look ahead to the next season of competition.