Sioux Falls Summer 2023

Fifty-six competitors gathered at Peace Lutheran Church on June 24, 2023, setting the stage for a packed day of speedcubing action in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. Across six events and thirteen rounds, the single-day gathering tested precision, endurance, and consistency. Emerging at the forefront of the field was Tyler Robinson, whose commanding presence across multiple puzzle formats earned him top honors in two marquee divisions and podium placements throughout the entire tournament program.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube competition served as the centerpiece of Sioux Falls Summer 2023, drawing 55 competitors through three intense rounds of classic Rubik's Cube solving. Robinson delivered exceptional consistency to secure first place, logging a winning average of 7.97 seconds alongside a sharp 7.22 single. Nathan Phillips pushed Robinson closely in the final round, locking down the runner-up spot with an 8.24 average, while Brody Meschke captured third place with an average of 9.05 seconds to complete the official 3x3 results.

Beyond the traditional three-layered puzzle, Robinson demonstrated his mastery in the Skewb event, navigating a field of 37 competitors across two rounds to claim his second title of the weekend. Robinson posted a winning average of 3.28 seconds and the event's best single solve at 2.51 seconds. Ben Tibbetts secured second place with an average of 4.58 seconds, edging past third-place finisher Andrew Tyberg, who registered a 4.64 average in the final round.

The 2x2x2 Cube event presented one of the tightest battles at Sioux Falls Summer 2023, where 51 competitors contested two rounds of rapid solves. Tibbetts rebounded to seize the victory with a 3.02 winning average and a 2.46 single. Carter Bitz finished mere hundredths behind in second place with an average of 3.06 seconds, while Jayden Bartlett took third on the podium with a 3.18 average. Bartlett also recorded a 1.51 single during the competition, sharing the spotlight with Volodymyr Kapustianskyi, who turned in a 1.38 single.

In the larger cube events, Carter Bitz asserted his dominance during the 4x4x4 Cube competition. Outlasting 38 competitors across three rounds, Bitz clinched first place with a 29.44 winning average and a round-best 28.04 single. Nathan Phillips took second place with a 32.14 average, while Robinson earned yet another podium spot in third with 34.92. Phillips countered in the grueling 7x7x7 Cube division, conquering the 20-player field with a winning average of 2:34.13 and a 2:30.26 single, leaving Bitz in second at 2:36.38 and Robinson in third at 3:36.40. In Square-1, Nathan Rahn prevailed over 18 entrants with a 9.07 average, finishing ahead of Robinson at 12.57 and Tibbetts at 13.04.

Beyond the championship podiums, the cubing competition saw remarkable individual breakthroughs across the ranks. Ethan Nicholson delivered one of the weekend's biggest leaps, dropping his 3x3x3 personal best to 21.81 seconds, a 52.9 percent improvement over his previous 46.32 mark, while also taking his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 3:00.75 and 2x2x2 Cube in 11.01. Riley Rath entered six events and cut his 2x2x2 single down to 2.04 seconds, an improvement of 58.5 percent, alongside a 12th-place finish in 7x7x7 Cube. Kaleb Updegraff achieved a massive 47.3 percent drop in 3x3x3 Cube, recording a personal best of 16.70 seconds. Britton Carver trimmed 39.1 percent from his 3x3x3 best with a 12.04 single.

New milestones continued throughout the day as debutants and returning participants tackled unfamiliar puzzles. Gavin Kellenberger reduced his Skewb best to 6.80 seconds, a 36.3 percent improvement, while competing across four separate events. Zakaria Abozena tackled the 7x7x7 Cube for the first time with an 8:25.59 solve to finish 16th, complementing a 26.8 percent drop in 4x4x4 Cube to 56.02 seconds. Alexander Grashorn contested six events, achieving a best finish of 15th in 7x7x7 Cube with a first-time 7:36.14 attempt, alongside debut efforts of 1:26.16 in 4x4x4 Cube and 7.37 in 2x2x2 Cube. Meanwhile, Alex Poitra entered his first WCA competition, logging initial career marks of 5.57 in 2x2x2 Cube, 15.50 in Skewb, and 22.04 in 3x3x3 Cube.

With eighteen podium positions distributed among domestic competitors, the action-packed speed cubing gathering in South Dakota highlighted both elite mastery and widespread grassroots development. Tyler Robinson's dual-event sweep and multi-podium showing defined the championship narrative, but the sheer volume of personal milestones underscored the competitive spirit present at Sioux Falls Summer 2023. As the 2023 season marches forward, the performances recorded here set a high benchmark for regional meets to follow.