Washtenaw Newcomers 2024

Luke Garrett delivered an extraordinary display of single-handed dexterity in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, logging a 10.19 average and a blistering 9.16 single to capture the 3x3x3 One-Handed title. Held on March 2, 2024, the tournament brought together 96 competitors across 5 events and 11 rounds at the Morris J. Lawrence Building. Garrett's masterclass in one-handed solving highlighted the exceptional finger control, ergonomic table work, and lookahead required to manipulate the standard Rubik's Cube with only one hand at world-class speed.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed event drew 67 competitors in a hard-fought single round. Kate Grahame secured second place on the podium with a 15.55 average, while Brandon Michael Kszywonos took third place with an 18.26 average. Garrett's sub-ten single stood as the benchmark of the event, showcasing the precise turning efficiency that separates the very best one-handed specialists from the rest of the pack in modern speedcubing.

Beyond his single-handed triumph, Garrett swept through nearly every discipline staged at Washtenaw Newcomers 2024. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, which featured 93 entrants across three rounds of play, Garrett topped the final 3x3 results with an electric 5.65 average and a tournament-best 4.89 single. Ben Saperstein secured the silver spot on the podium with an 8.66 average, just edging out Kate Grahame, who claimed third with an 8.69 mark.

Garrett continued his dominant run in the 4x4x4 Cube competition, besting a field of 65 solvers with a winning average of 26.47 and a low single of 20.36. Grahame earned another runner-up finish with a 31.24 average, while Saperstein rounded out the top three at 38.67. Garrett added a fourth gold medal in Pyraminx, averaging 2.21 across three rounds to edge Thomas Grahor at 2.33 and Hunter Mackler at 3.30.

The lone gold medal that escaped Garrett went to Sujan Feist in a razor-thin 2x2x2 Cube final. Feist posted a phenomenal 1.70 winning average and a 1.35 single to take the top step of the podium across three competitive rounds. Garrett finished closely behind in second place with a 2.07 average, while Grahame earned third place with a 2.20 mark, bringing the total podium tally to a clean sweep of 15 spots for the USA.

While the front of the pack collected trophies, numerous breakthroughs occurred throughout the lower ranks of this WCA competition. Avery Slutsky delivered massive improvements across multiple puzzles, cutting his Pyraminx personal best by 60.3 percent down to 5.39 and trimming his 2x2x2 best by 43.3 percent to 6.63, while taking on his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 1:33.95. Vihaan Sabharwal knocked 60 percent off his 2x2x2 personal best with a 4.55 mark and tackled his first career attempts in both 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:43.57 and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:51.36. Tristan Hotchkiss dropped his 3x3x3 Cube best by 43.8 percent to 16.89 and logged his first attempts in Pyraminx at 4.43 and 2x2x2 at 3.52. Ethan Crawford registered a 45.8 percent improvement on Pyraminx down to 4.33 while clocking 28.06 in his first 3x3x3 One-Handed run.

Other competitors took on brand new challenges with impressive versatility. Sebastian Jacob sliced 34.6 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube standard to hit 19.30 while recording his first tries in 4x4x4 at 3:09.86 and one-handed at 58.75. Jacob Scarbrough took on five events, producing initial official marks of 2.72 on 2x2x2, 36.31 on one-handed, and 1:05.79 on 4x4x4. Nikhil Abby expanded his repertoire with initial official marks of 7.46 on 2x2x2, 12.00 on Pyraminx, and 48.73 on one-handed. Ben Schindel entered five events on the day, posting fresh marks of 8.00 in 2x2x2, 55.72 in one-handed, and 2:14.08 in 4x4x4.

The single-day cubing competition served as an ideal showcase of local talent and multi-event versatility. Between Garrett's four gold medals, Feist's sharp 2x2x2 victory, and dozens of personal milestones achieved on the floor, the speed cubing gathering in Michigan highlighted the depth and enthusiasm driving the community forward into the 2024 season.