UCLA Summer 2025

A mere fifteen hundredths of a second decided the premier event of the weekend as Kyeongmin Choi secured victory in the 3x3x3 Cube final. Clocking a decisive winning average of 7.77 seconds with a best single of 7.26, Choi held off a fierce challenge right to the final turns. Behind him, Vietnam standout Khoi Minh Nguyen and American finalist Remy Trieu finished in a dead heat for the remaining podium spots, both registering matching averages of 7.92 seconds. The narrow margins set an electric tone across the entire schedule in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Held on July 20, UCLA Summer 2025 brought together an expansive gathering of 181 competitors across five distinct events. Hosted at the UCLA venue, the one-day WCA competition demanded precision across nine rounds of rigorous speed cubing action. Fans following the 3x3 results witnessed 180 competitors battle through two rounds on the classic Rubik's Cube, creating an intense atmosphere where fractions of a second separated podium hopefuls from the rest of the field.

The 3x3x3 Cube contest stood out for its razor-thin margin, but it was far from the only showcase of top-tier speedcubing during the 2025 meet. Choi carried his momentum straight into Megaminx, taking gold with an average of 31.61 seconds and a best single of 28.24. United States competitor Michael Muething claimed second place with an average of 35.08, while Shiloh D'Espyne took third at 40.30 seconds. The double victory marked Choi as one of the standout figures of the tournament.

Muething found redemption at the large cube tables, dominating the 7x7x7 Cube bracket to take first place. He put together a commanding winning average of 2:26.15 and logged the fastest single of the day at 2:20.61 across the 48-player field. Amogh Adluri secured second place with a mark of 2:32.62, while Choi added another podium to his weekend tally by finishing third in 2:39.60. Across the board, American competitors claimed eight podium positions across the tournament, while South Korea earned four and Vietnam took three.

The remaining events delivered equally sharp competition throughout the afternoon at UCLA Summer 2025. In Square-1, Khoi Minh Nguyen captured top honors with a 9.56 winning average and an 8.45 single, holding off Brady Sherwood who posted a 10.77 average, while Choi finished third at 11.44. The Skewb tournament went to Andy French, who registered a 3.37 average with a single of 2.07. Shiloh D'Espyne took second place at 4.45 seconds, followed by Nguyen in third at 4.92 seconds.

Beyond the championship podiums, the cubing competition served as a stage for remarkable personal milestones and breakthroughs across the rosters. Damian Liu-Ruiz took on five separate events, achieving an 8th-place finish in 7x7x7 Cube while shaving 40.4% off his 7x7x7 personal best with a time of 3:40.22 and dropping his Skewb mark by 76.6% to 5.21 seconds alongside a first ever attempt at Square-1 of 59.40. Caleb Cao also tackled five events, setting a first ever attempt at Megaminx of 1:25.21 and delivering a 57.2% improvement in Square-1 at 19.59 seconds. Andrew Dey entered five events, logging a Megaminx personal best of 1:38.26 which was 29.6% faster than before, as well as a first ever attempt at Square-1 in 1:49.16 and a first 7x7x7 Cube try in 8:51.99. Shai Aschkenasy completed four events, notching a 50.2% Skewb personal best of 6.39 seconds alongside first ever attempts at Megaminx in 3:12.04 and Square-1 in 57.68 seconds.

The progress continued through the ranks with several other competitors expanding their repertoires. Kristin Wilson took on four events, setting a 44.4% Skewb personal best of 6.08 seconds while logging a first ever attempt at Megaminx of 1:59.05 and Square-1 in 58.60 seconds. Jake White delivered a 41.6% personal best in Skewb at 6.63 seconds, a 26.6% improvement in 3x3x3 Cube to 12.36 seconds, and a first ever attempt at Square-1 in 1:40.66. Parker Tatlow registered a 50.8% Skewb personal best of 7.13 seconds, improved his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 21.2% to 16.40 seconds, and posted a first Square-1 attempt of 1:19.25. James Nguyen tackled three events, improving his Skewb mark by 52.3% to 12.31 seconds, dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best by 29.3% to 21.90 seconds, and logging a first ever attempt at Megaminx in 3:16.02.

As the final timers stopped, UCLA Summer 2025 concluded as a showcase of elite concentration, tactical consistency, and individual growth. From Choi's thrilling 3x3x3 Cube title triumph to the broad distribution of podium honors among international contenders, the event highlighted the vibrant depth of the sport. The performances established a high standard for every competitor heading into their next season of tournament play.