SCU I: May the Fourth Be With You 2025

Trevor Mendelson delivered the defining performance of the day in Santa Clara, California, USA, capturing the premier 3x3x3 Cube title with a winning average of 7.92 seconds. Facing a competitive field across two rounds of play, Mendelson set the benchmark for the entire weekend by posting a tournament-best single solve of 6.45 seconds. His sub-eight-second final average secured top honours in the classic Rubik's Cube category, leading a podium sweep for the host country.

Held on May 4, 2025, at Santa Clara University, SCU I: May the Fourth Be With You 2025 drew a dedicated field of 35 competitors across two major disciplines. The single-day speedcubing competition featured four rounds of intense turning across the traditional 3x3x3 and the larger 4x4x4 puzzles. Speed cubing enthusiasts in the region gathered to test their skills under official World Cube Association regulations, producing sharp times from the first scramble to the last.

The 3x3 results showcased remarkable consistency from the leading trio throughout the final round. Ruby Lu pushed hard in second place, completing the event with an average of 8.31 seconds. An Le secured the third spot on the podium with a solid mark of 8.64 seconds. David Lin also stood out during the 3x3x3 rounds, registering a single solve of 7.83 seconds and an average of 8.82 seconds to highlight the depth of the field.

Beyond the flagship three-layered puzzle, the 4x4x4 Cube competition brought high-level strategy and execution to the tables. An Le followed his podium finish in the 3x3x3 by claiming the 4x4x4 championship outright. Le posted a winning average of 32.09 seconds alongside the event single of 30.03 seconds, outpacing a field of 29 participants over two complete rounds. Ethan Mendelson earned second place with a 39.86 average, while Stanley Tran rounded out the podium in third with a time of 40.30 seconds.

Away from the main stage battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across their events. Vinson Fluegge had a standout day, trimming his 4x4x4 Cube personal best down to 43.73 seconds, which was 25.8 percent faster than his previous best of 58.92, while also securing 13th place in the 3x3x3. Ethan Lin showed dramatic growth on the larger cube by posting a 4x4x4 mark of 1:09.67, an improvement of 25 percent compared to his prior 1:32.88, and went on to finish seventh overall in the 3x3x3.

Significant gains continued down the roster in Santa Clara. Garrett Cheng shaved 24.3 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a new mark of 39.11 seconds, down from 51.66. Connor Dobbin excelled in both entered events, cutting his 4x4x4 time by 21.4 percent to 1:39.29 and improving his 3x3x3 best by 17.5 percent to 16.84 seconds. Wyatt Cheng lowered his 3x3x3 best by 21.2 percent to 23.65 seconds and logged a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 1:48.61. Daniel Tsai made his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 52.62 seconds to place 12th, while dropping his 3x3x3 mark by 12.9 percent to 11.66 seconds. Zane Kempler made his first WCA competition appearance, taking 16th in 3x3x3 with an initial mark of 14.91 seconds alongside an initial 4x4x4 time of 1:47.62. Elvin Peng also debuted at this cubing competition, recording inaugural marks of 19.65 in the 3x3x3 and 2:19.85 in the 4x4x4.

Multiple other competitors set personal performance marks across the 3x3x3 rounds. Calvin Nielson delivered a single of 10.39 and an average of 11.04, while Anshika Nandan logged a single of 10.38 and an average of 11.10. Vedanth Bharadwaj posted marks of 10.22 for single and 11.45 for average. International competitors also added strong marks, with Anrui Zhang of China recording a 21.56 single and a 24.53 average, and Akhil Kathirvel of India finishing with a 45.81 single and 1:00.33 average.

The tournament wrapped up having distributed all six podium spots to competitors representing the United States, concluding a compact and action-packed day of solving. With rapid times in the books and dozens of individual personal milestones achieved, SCU I: May the Fourth Be With You 2025 proved to be an exciting chapter for the Northern California speedcubing community as competitors look ahead to the next season of events.