UCLA Spring 2026

185 competitors gathered on February 15, 2026, transforming the spacious floor of the Ackerman Grand Ballroom into a hub of high-stakes speedcubing. The cavernous venue provided an expansive stage for the single-day gathering, hosting 11 distinct rounds across five official events. From early morning heats to late afternoon finals, the room buzzed with the rhythmic clicking of puzzle hardware as solvers from across the region tackled everything from the standard Rubik's Cube to specialized, multi-layered challenges in Los Angeles, California, USA.

The scale of this cubing competition gave the room an electric cadence, especially as the premier events got underway. Max Park set the tone for the entire tournament by capturing first place in three separate disciplines. In the 3x3x3 Cube, Park dominated the final round among 185 starters across three rounds, securing the title with a winning average of 5.34 seconds alongside the tournament best single solve of 4.35 seconds. Dylan Miller finished in second place with an average of 6.46 seconds, while Kien Ly Biggs rounded out the podium in third with a mark of 7.83 seconds.

Park continued his commanding run in the 4x4x4 Cube, prevailing over a field of 103 competitors across two rounds. Delivering a winning average of 21.11 seconds and the event best single of 17.86 seconds, Park claimed the top step ahead of Kate Grahame, who recorded a 27.57 average for second place, and Dylan Miller, who took third with a 29.81 average. The technical discipline required on the larger mechanism kept the venue entirely locked on the main tables as the margins tightened through the second round.

One-handed solving brought another masterclass from Park in the 3x3x3 One-Handed final. Navigating the 91-competitor event, Park logged a winning average of 8.97 seconds and a tournament-best single of 8.21 seconds to take gold. Dylan Govic finished as the runner-up with an average of 12.53 seconds, while Kate Grahame earned another podium placing by taking third with a 13.83 average. The performance capped a remarkable sweep across three major categories for Park during UCLA Spring 2026.

Beyond the traditional cubes, alternative puzzles drew significant crowds to the center tables of the ballroom. In the Pyraminx, Franklin Pham led a field of 106 competitors over two rounds, winning the event with an average of 2.85 seconds and posting the top single of 2.39 seconds. Jaden Thompson claimed the silver position with a 3.15 average, followed closely by Kate Grahame in third with a 3.42 average. The Megaminx event saw Dylan Miller secure victory with a 35.22 winning average and the best single of 33.15 seconds, topping Michael Muething who averaged 37.15 and Jack Flynn Stewart who finished third at 43.86.

While the frontrunners collected hardware, the heart of this WCA competition belonged to competitors making dramatic personal strides. Liam Islam delivered one of the steepest single improvements of the weekend, lowering his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 11.96 seconds, an improvement of 46.9 percent from his previous mark of 22.53, while also completing his first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 12.18 seconds. Rafayel Ghumashyan took on five events, shaving 46.2 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube personal best to record 51.89 seconds and logging his first ever attempts at Megaminx with a 1:14.84 and Pyraminx with a 7.09.

Other competitors took on broad schedules to mark breakthroughs across new categories. Mark Padilla reduced his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 40.3 percent down to 9.75 seconds and recorded his first Pyraminx attempt at 9.74 seconds. Thomas Roman advanced across four events, dropping his Pyraminx personal best by 38.5 percent to 6.02 seconds, his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 12.5 percent to 14.16 seconds, and logging his first 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt at 1:13.69. Joshua Sequeira improved his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 35.1 percent to 24.33 seconds alongside a debut Pyraminx solve of 12.06 seconds. Nitin Kunaparaju tackled five events, cutting 33 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube best to hit 54.96 seconds, improving his Pyraminx mark by 22.5 percent to 4.33 seconds, and finishing his first Megaminx solve in 2:11.41. Bryan Kwok improved his 3x3x3 Cube best by 26.6 percent to 24.53 seconds while logging first attempts in Pyraminx at 10.09 and Megaminx at 3:10.03, and Charlie I. Hewitt dropped his 3x3x3 One-Handed time by 24.6 percent to 1:10.18 alongside debuts in Pyraminx at 11.80 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:53.45.

The overall 3x3 results from the preliminary stages through the finals highlighted the deep standard of speed cubing present throughout the Ackerman Grand Ballroom. Competitors from the United States secured all 15 available podium positions across the five scheduled disciplines, highlighting an exceptional local showing across the entire weekend program. With 185 participants filling the venue across 11 competitive rounds, UCLA Spring 2026 concluded as a dense, high-tempo celebration of puzzle solving in Southern California.

As the tables were cleared and the final brackets resolved, the event demonstrated how a single day inside a major ballroom can host both world-class speedcubing excellence and dozens of personal milestones. The variety of formats, from one-handed solving to the twelve-sided Megaminx, gave solvers every avenue to test their training. UCLA Spring 2026 offered a full display of focus and dexterity, leaving competitors looking ahead to the challenges of the next competitive season.