St. Augustine 2024

Inside the gymnasium at Mill Creek Academy, tables stood arranged in precise rows under the bright indoor lights as timers beeped and plastic mechanisms clicked in rapid succession. A gathering of 95 competitors brought an electric focus to St. Augustine, Florida, USA on December 14, 2024. The single-day schedule demanded absolute concentration across 11 rounds of intense action. Long before the final standings were settled, the physical demands of high-order puzzles set the tone for the entire event.

Big cubes demand a distinct blend of stamina, foresight, and manual discipline that separates them from the sprint events. As the piece count multiplies on 5x5x5 and 6x6x6 puzzles, solvers face lengthy reduction phases, intricate edge pairing, and the constant mental weight of parity errors. Maintaining peak turning velocity through several minutes of continuous solving tests a competitor endurance to the limit. At St. Augustine 2024, those who could sustain that focus through the late phases found themselves standing at the top of the leaderboards.

Vishwa Sankar proved to be the master of the large hardware throughout the weekend. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Sankar delivered a commanding performance across two rounds, securing the title with a 51.24 winning average and an event-best single of 48.35. Carter Bitz took second place with a 52.19 mark, while Tommy Cherry claimed third at 52.36. Sankar carried that exact momentum into the 6x6x6 Cube, logging a dominant 1:26.84 winning average alongside a 1:23.69 single. Sean Hartman finished runner-up at 1:40.51, and Bitz secured another medal in third at 1:44.35.

The 4x4x4 Cube delivered equally fierce competition among 58 entrants. Carter Bitz captured victory with a superb 28.01 average, anchored by a best single of 24.96. Noah Swor kept the contest exceedingly close, claiming the second step on the podium with a 28.44 average. Vishwa Sankar earned another medal on the day, placing third with a 29.25 average. The results underscored the fine margins separating the top tier of speedcubing athletes when tackling mid-sized and big puzzles under tournament pressure.

Beyond the podium battles, the floor of this WCA competition witnessed extraordinary progress from emerging talents rewriting their personal benchmarks. Jiana X. Li took on three events, logging a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 1:26.99, while dropping their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 61.5 percent to 4.49 and cutting their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 47.2 percent down to 19.53. Max Frazier Loughridge entered four events, recording a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube of 3:08.31, a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 1:28.79, and a 24.6 percent improvement on the classic Rubik's Cube to 17.46. Kit Sheppard tackled three events, posting a first 4x4x4 Cube time of 2:10.29, alongside personal records of 9.41 in 2x2x2 Cube and 25.07 in 3x3x3 Cube.

The breakthrough performances continued as Marcus D. Serrano entered all five events, delivering a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 3:04.54, a first 5x5x5 Cube mark of 4:42.65, and an 18.1 percent leap to a 27.25 3x3x3 Cube best. Jonathan Pike took on all five disciplines as well, earning a 10th-place finish in 5x5x5 Cube, a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube of 2:01.44, and personal records of 58.02 in 5x5x5 Cube and 32.41 in 4x4x4 Cube. Shreeraj Zagade logged a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 2:02.55 and lowered their 3x3x3 Cube mark by 32.5 percent to 17.65. Sarvesh Krishnaa Govardhanan Kiruthica achieved a first 5x5x5 Cube time of 1:55.34 and a first 6x6x6 Cube time of 4:23.82, while Isaac Caccam cut their 2x2x2 Cube time by 58.5 percent to 4.20 and their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 53.6 percent down to 11.79.

The sprint disciplines brought sharp contrasts in tempo to the Mill Creek Academy floor. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Tommy Cherry blazed through the rounds to capture first place with a 1.35 winning average, highlighted by an event-best single of 0.97. Santino Maiorino followed in second place with an average of 1.82, and Evan Bewley rounded out the podium in third at 2.36. The fast-paced event saw 85 competitors push their turn speed to the absolute limit in pursuit of quick stage times.

The 3x3 results brought the tournament to an exciting finish as 94 competitors took part in the weekend flagship event across three competitive rounds. Alexander Persaud stood tall in the final, securing the victory with a 7.14 average and a best single of 6.38. Tommy Cherry finished closely behind in second place with a 7.19 average, while Owen Brooks earned third place on the podium with a 7.64 mark. Every single podium position across all five events was claimed by athletes representing the United States.

The successful conclusion of St. Augustine 2024 wrapped up a memorable chapter of speed cubing in the Sunshine State. With 15 podium awards handed out and competitors testing their skills across 5 distinct puzzle disciplines, the cubing competition showcased both veteran mastery and rising determination. As the equipment was packed away, solvers departed with new personal milestones and renewed focus for the year ahead.