UCSD Weeknights III 2025

Thirty competitors gathered on January 23, 2025, for an evening of rapid-fire solving in San Diego, California, USA. Staged across four rounds and three distinct disciplines at UC San Diego, the compact cubing competition proved that a single evening can generate plenty of statistical fireworks. With solvers pushing for fast times across three puzzles, the schedule delivered constant movement at the tables and a steady sequence of personal breakthroughs.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed event took centre stage as a barrage of benchmark marks fell across two competitive rounds. While classic Rubik's Cube speedcubing demands two hands working in concert, the one-handed discipline strips away half the grip, forcing competitors into clever table work and rapid fingertricks. In this environment, Matthew Arca produced the fastest standard of the meet, sealing first place with a winning average of 11.80 seconds alongside an individual highlight single of 10.21 seconds and a 12.73 round average.

The single-handed contest remained fierce right down through the podium positions. Dylan Govic secured second place with an average of 12.88, having set a scorching single of 10.94 seconds and a 12.61 average along the way. Michael Muething took third place on the podium with a 16.19 final average, while logging an individual best of 15.02 and a 17.32 average earlier in the bracket.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed field of 26 contenders saw numerous other notable numbers enter the books. Shane Grogan registered marks of 13.89 single and 17.12 average, while Michael Young added a 14.95 single and 18.27 average. Avery Cochran recorded an 18.15 single and 20.11 average, Alex Lehman reached 19.35 and 20.46, Timothy Zhang logged 19.52 and 22.09, Muhtasim Al-Farabi posted 14.26 and 22.39, and Kun Wang turned in a 20.30 single with a 23.41 average, adding broad depth to the speed cubing 3x3 results table.

Beyond the headline records, the evening delivered huge milestones for developing competitors. Andrea Nguyen entered three events and delivered massive progress, shaving 29.6 percent off a 3x3x3 One-Handed best to finish in 22.91 seconds, trimming 28.9 percent on the 4x4x4 Cube down to 1:38.24, and recording a first ever official Megaminx solve of 2:16.90. Avery Cochran tackled three disciplines, achieving a best finish of fourth place in Megaminx while logging first ever attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 18.15, 4x4x4 Cube at 37.26, and Megaminx at 44.51.

Manning Karahashi made significant leaps across three events, lowering their 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 33 percent to 23.35 seconds, slicing 22.2 percent in Megaminx down to 1:35.97, and dropping 14.8 percent on the 4x4x4 Cube to 42.32. Dhruv Sehgal cut 26.4 percent off a Megaminx best to clock 2:23.36 and improved 23.5 percent on 4x4x4 Cube to 1:19.17. Dylan Gonzales took on two events, setting a 24.5 percent 4x4x4 Cube best of 54.65 alongside a first ever one-handed solve of 24.16. Taylor Saldana logged a first 4x4x4 Cube time of 52.00, Edwin Villa notched a first 4x4x4 Cube effort of 56.67, and Sylvester Slavet-Burr made their debut WCA competition appearance, recording a first 4x4x4 Cube mark of 1:17.58.

In the 4x4x4 Cube event, Mulun Yin delivered the most dominant performance of the entire gathering. Facing 28 other competitors in the single-round battle, Yin captured the title with a winning average of 26.77 seconds and the fastest single of the evening at 24.84 seconds. Michael Muething took second place with a 32.60 average, while Shane Grogan rounded out the top three with an average of 33.28 seconds.

Michael Muething returned to the table in Megaminx to capture another victory, leading a 19-competitor field with a winning average of 37.21 seconds and a best single solve of 33.12 seconds on the twelve-sided puzzle. Timothy Zhang claimed second place with a 55.11 average, just edging out Zhai Phifer who secured third place on the podium with an average of 55.21 seconds.

With eight podium positions claimed by competitors from the United States and one by China, UCSD Weeknights III 2025 showed how much action can fit into a single evening. The combined efforts of thirty solvers across four rounds closed out a memorable session of competition, leaving plenty of personal milestones and competitive momentum in place for the season ahead.