PBQ Utah Championship 2025

Jared Blanco delivered the standout performance of the PBQ Utah Championship 2025, taking first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 29.86 winning average and a best single time of 25.62 seconds. The one-day cubing competition, held on November 22, 2025, brought 20 competitors together at the Sorenson Student Center in Orem, Utah, USA. Behind every smooth blindfolded attempt and calculated solution was the meticulous work of the organizers, WCA delegates, and dedicated volunteers who kept all seven rounds across five events running on schedule.

Running a specialized speed cubing tournament focused on blindfolded solving and efficiency events requires precise administration. The organizing crew managed quiet solving areas for multiple blindfolded disciplines, monitored strict time limits, and ensured proper scrambling conditions throughout the day. Their efforts allowed competitors from across the region to test their limits on the classic Rubik's Cube variants that require deep mental focus, complex memorization, and rigorous preparation.

The 3x3x3 Fewest Moves discipline saw Bradley Sampson secure victory with a winning average of 29.67 and a single score of 29 moves across 20 competitors. Canyon Pettitt finished in second place with a 30.33 average, while Ty Baird took third place on the podium with an average of 33.00. The efficiency contest proved to be one of the most closely contested battles of the weekend, showcasing the analytical depth speedcubing demands beyond pure turn speed.

Blindfolded events dominated the rest of the schedule, testing different layers of spatial memory. Canyon Pettitt won the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event by solving 7 out of 7 cubes in 33:29, leading Elliot Pimentel, who finished second with 5 out of 5 in 24:11, and Gavin Tenney, who took third with 5 out of 5 in 28:03. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, Ty Baird captured first place with an average of 6:55.97 and a best single of 5:30.91, ahead of Steven Morrise in second at 12:38.00 and Gavin Tenney in third at 12:42.00.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across their individual campaigns. Akoy Gregory made a massive breakthrough in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, logging a personal best single of 2:38.59, which was 43.6 percent faster than their previous mark of 4:40.95, while entering four events and finishing fourth in 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Kirk Zaugg took on three events at the PBQ Utah Championship 2025, completing their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a time of 6:05.52, attempting 3x3x3 Fewest Moves for the first time with a score of 43, and securing eighth place in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind.

Grant Staten entered two events, recording a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded of 4:43.76, a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves of 38, and a best finish of seventh in Fewest Moves. Jackson McLean achieved a personal best of 2:56.44 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, improving by 9.6 percent over their previous best of 3:15.09, and logged a first attempt in Fewest Moves with a mark of 45. Rustin Haderlie entered four disciplines, dropping their 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best by 5.1 percent to 3:31.89 while finishing fourth in 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Garrett Henrie took on three events to finish eighth in Multi-Blind, Joey Day took 17th in Fewest Moves, and Garrett Webster placed 12th in Fewest Moves across two events.

In the standard blindfolded event, the 3x3 results concluded with Jared Blanco taking the title over Samuel Baird, who placed second with a 58.20 average, and Abhimanyu Singhal, who claimed third with a 1:06.29 average. The 5x5x5 Blindfolded round proved uniquely demanding for the entire field, as all seven entrants, including Gavin Tenney, Ty Baird, Samuel Baird, Jared Blanco, Abhimanyu Singhal, Steven Morrise, and Canyon Pettitt, finished with an uncompleted solve.

As the final scores were entered into the database, the PBQ Utah Championship 2025 wrapped up as a testament to the teamwork between event staff and participants. With 19 podium places awarded across the five disciplines in Orem, the WCA competition concluded another successful chapter of blindfolded and fewest moves solving in the state, made possible from start to finish by the organizers and judges on the floor.