Upper Valley Cube Day 2025

A blistering 2.77 winning average in the Pyraminx final by Elijah Rain Phelps set the standard for a packed day of speedcubing action in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. As the 2025 summer calendar reaches full stride, contenders arrived at the RWB Community Center seeking sharp times and crucial momentum. Phelps secured three separate victories across the schedule, while Levi Gibson delivered standout performances in the central twists, ensuring this regional date carried major weight for competitors polishing their routines midway through the competitive year.

Held on June 28, 2025, Upper Valley Cube Day 2025 brought together 23 competitors across five events and nine rounds of high-pressure solving. The mid-season stop offered a comprehensive test of versatility, spanning compact puzzles, larger hardware, and specialized disciplines. Across the tables, every round provided a clear snapshot of how solvers are navigating the demands of the current campaign, with the United States collecting all 15 available podium positions throughout the single-day gathering.

In the flagship 3x3x3 Cube, Gibson captured top honors by logging a crisp winning average of 8.18 to lead a field of 23 entrants over three rounds. Gibson also registered a best single of 7.46 during the contest, outlasting a determined push from Chris Yeager, who took the runner-up spot with an 8.96 mark. Joey Mait secured third place on the podium with a 9.36 average, wrapping up the premier 3x3 results in a tightly contested final round.

Gibson doubled his victory tally by mastering the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, which drew 18 entrants over two rounds. Solving with singular control, Gibson posted a winning average of 13.86 and a best single of 12.55 to claim first place. Phelps took second place right behind him with a 14.03 average, while Chris Chi placed third with a mark of 14.76, completing a rapid podium sequence for the traditional Rubik's Cube variant.

Phelps established dominance across the big cubes and side events, capturing three titles over the course of the day. In the Pyraminx, Phelps led 20 competitors through two rounds to triumph with a 2.77 average and a 1.88 single, finishing ahead of Gibson at 4.18 and Saisabari Ramesh at 4.86. Phelps then topped the 19-player 4x4x4 Cube field with an average of 30.63 and a single of 27.84, ahead of Derek White at 33.47 and Chi at 34.55. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Phelps completed the triple with a 1:03.76 average and 55.37 single, edging Chi at 1:04.06 and Ramesh at 1:09.99.

Beyond the title fights, several competitors delivered massive leaps forward that highlighted the depth of the weekend. Noah Mazza tackled five events, taking 13th in 5x5x5 Cube while dropping his personal best to 2:19.39, an improvement of 35.4 percent, alongside an 11.2 percent drop in 3x3x3 One-Handed to 1:04.12. Will Bowen took on five disciplines and placed 4th in 4x4x4 Cube, setting a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 1:17.52 to cut 23.7 percent off his previous standard, while also trimming his 4x4x4 Cube best to 33.78 and his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark to 17.92. Owen Young achieved an 8.26 in 3x3x3 Cube to improve by 22.4 percent, matched by a 22.2 percent drop in one-handed solving to 25.40 and a 5.98 in Pyraminx.

The tournament also marked pivotal milestones for emerging talents and dedicated regulars at this WCA competition. Cooper Croswell entered two events, logging a first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a time of 12.81 while cutting 17.3 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube personal best down to 22.25. Tyler Sallaku made his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Cube with a 34.78 and advanced his Pyraminx best by 5.6 percent to 10.41. Peter Parker Emerson completed five events, shaving 19.6 percent off his 3x3x3 One-Handed best to reach 29.82 and lowering his 4x4x4 Cube best by 18.5 percent to 1:03.37. Eli Yukica entered his first WCA competition, recording a first ever attempt of 8.72 in Pyraminx and 43.21 in 3x3x3 Cube, while Noah Lynch also made his first tournament appearance with a debut 26.40 in the 3x3x3 Cube.

Upper Valley Cube Day 2025 demonstrated the energy of regional speed cubing as the season advances toward its later stages. The balance between elite championship averages and personal breakthroughs gave the Hanover gathering a memorable rhythm from the first scrambles to the final solves. With reliable benchmarks established in both standard formats and specialty disciplines, the competitors leave New Hampshire with sharp marks in the books as this cubing competition calendar pushes ahead.