Oklahoma Fall 2023

A blistering 2.40 final average on the 2x2x2 Cube by Jake Maddox set the tone for an intense day of solving in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. Held on November 11, 2023, the event brought together 98 competitors inside the Embassy Suites by Hilton Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport. Across seven events and 12 hard-fought rounds, participants pushed their turning speeds to the limit, producing a deep slate of quick marks and intense podium battles in an action-packed speed cubing atmosphere.

Maddox emerged as the central figure of the tournament, capturing double gold across the most popular puzzles. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube, he secured victory through three rounds of competition, finishing with a 7.63 winning average and delivering a single of 7.18. Zachary Walden took the runner-up spot with an 8.08 average, while Jose Ortiz Jr. claimed third place with an 8.29 mark. The 3x3 results across the 97-competitor bracket demonstrated exceptional depth at the top of the standings.

The 2x2x2 Cube competition produced an extensive flurry of official records that redefined personal benchmarks across the roster. Maddox led the charge with a 1.68 single and a 2.97 average, followed closely by Blake Linsenmeyer clocking a 2.77 single and 3.09 average. Samuel Threlkeld secured marks of 3.13 and 3.24, while Zachary Walden posted 2.43 and 3.32. Further records fell to Alexander Wheeler with 2.72 and 3.53, Joseph Rozelle with 2.94 and 3.59, and Jackson Lewis with 2.81 and 3.60.

The 2x2 record cascade continued right through the upper ranks of the bracket. Casey Ngo recorded a 2.61 single and 3.71 average, Caden Vining turned in 3.43 and 3.97, and Sidney Kocen rounded out the record list with 2.76 and 3.98. When the final round wrapped up, Maddox stood atop the podium with his 2.40 average, flanked by Ngo in second at 3.71 and Rozelle taking third at 3.76 in a remarkably tight finish.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, Oklahoma Fall 2023 featured tremendous breakthroughs across the wider lineup of solvers. Blake Linsenmeyer delivered an enormous drop in Skewb, recording a personal best of 3.98 that was 70.6 percent faster than his previous best of 13.53, while also lowering his Clock mark to 9.37. Logan Pinkston dropped his Skewb best by 48.3 percent down to 10.00, improved his 3x3x3 single by 13.9 percent to 8.54, took sixth place in the main event, and completed his first ever attempt at Megaminx with a time of 1:23.19. Noah Silva logged personal bests of 6.71 in Skewb, 49 percent faster than before, and 6.03 in Pyraminx, alongside a first Megaminx attempt of 2:08.11. Zachary Steele took on five disciplines, lowering his 2x2x2 mark by 43.8 percent to 4.84, cutting his 3x3x3 time by 32.5 percent to 15.54, and trying Skewb for the first time with a 9.13 result.

The personal milestones continued to mount as competitors explored new puzzles at this WCA competition. Caleb Burba sliced 48.2 percent off his 3x3x3 best to land a 13.61 mark, trimmed his 2x2x2 best by 33.3 percent to 4.30, and completed his first official Skewb solve at 27.30. Jonah C. Wineinger made a major leap with a 3.95 personal best in 2x2x2, 34.4 percent faster than his prior standard, while reducing his 3x3x3 mark by 28.6 percent to 12.04 and making his Megaminx debut at 2:19.22. Jayden Jhang tackled six events, recording his first official attempts in Megaminx at 2:19.49 and Skewb at 7.31, while improving his Square-1 best by 14.5 percent to 24.86. Cooper Wiederholt also took on a wide program of five events, notching first-time marks of 9.86 in Pyraminx, 8.44 in Skewb, and 2:37.20 in Megaminx.

Side events offered plenty of drama and diverse technical challenges across the venue floor. Dominic Brungardt proved unbeatable in the specialty disciplines, claiming gold in Skewb with a 4.09 average ahead of Sidney Kocen at 5.07 and Alexander Wheeler at 5.76. Brungardt doubled his title tally in Clock, topping the 48-competitor field with a winning average of 7.01. Jose Ortiz Jr. secured second place in Clock with 7.27, while Kaden Christopher Dockins earned third with 7.71.

In the complex Megaminx event, Jose Ortiz Jr. delivered a standout performance, taking first place with an average of 43.28 and a best single of 40.99. Josiah Edmond secured second place at 57.53, with Isaac Lindsey rounding out the top three at 58.63. Pyraminx saw Jaxon Wright rise to the top of a 79-person field, averaging 4.30 to beat Kaden Christopher Dockins at 5.22 and David Spitzer at 5.70. In Square-1, Casey Ngo clinched victory with an average of 14.59, closely trailed by Ortiz Jr. at 15.13 and Maddox at 15.42.

The action-packed day concluded with the United States sweeping all 21 available podium places across the seven events. From classic Rubik's Cube solving to complex shape modifications, the speedcubing community in the region showed remarkable progress. With a heavy slate of personal improvements and standout record performances, the tournament highlighted the depth of local talent preparing for the challenges of the coming season.