Washtenaw Winter 2025

A total of 104 competitors gathered on January 25, 2025, bringing high-stakes speedcubing action to Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Held inside the Morris J. Lawrence Building, the single-day schedule featured five official events and 11 rounds of intense competition. From the early preliminary heats to the late-afternoon finals, solvers traded quick turns and measured stops on the timer across traditional Rubik's Cube categories and specialty puzzles. The gathering delivered a packed program that kept judges and competitors moving from the opening morning rounds straight through to the awards presentations.

The 3x3x3 Cube contest stood out as the central attraction of the day, drawing 101 competitors through three full rounds. Stanley Chapel took the top step of the podium with a decisive 7.66 winning average in the final round, backed by a best single of 6.78. Caleb Lalik secured second place with an average of 8.86, while Elliott Perkins rounded out the top three with an 8.96 mark. These standout 3x3 results capped an impressive series of rounds that highlighted deep talent across the regional field in 2025.

Chapel extended his mastery well beyond the standard three-layered cube throughout the competition. In the 4x4x4 Cube event, which featured 67 competitors over two rounds, Chapel captured another victory with a winning average of 29.09 and an event-best single of 24.60. Daniel Pavelich followed in second place with a 34.05 average, narrowly besting Caleb Lalik, who recorded a 34.39 average for third place. Chapel maintained unmatched consistency on the larger hardware, solving with steady rhythm under tournament conditions.

The one-handed event further underlined Chapel's remarkable range. Facing a field of 57 entrants in a direct single-round final of 3x3x3 One-Handed, Chapel claimed victory with an average of 12.29 and a sharp 11.05 single. Elliott Perkins earned the runner-up position with a 16.81 average, while Carson Clark took third place with a mark of 17.87. Chapel's three gold finishes across different disciplines defined the competitive tempo of the entire weekend.

Beyond the multi-title sweeps at this WCA competition, several competitors delivered massive personal breakthroughs that marked their growth on the official stage. Zackary Watkins achieved a dramatic improvement in Clock, setting a personal best of 13.71 that cut 56.8 percent off his prior mark of 31.76, while also lowering his 3x3x3 Cube best to 33.32. Micah Dowell slashed his Clock best by 52.7 percent down to 9.75 and notched an 18.21 in 3x3x3 Cube. Nolan Brown tackled four events, producing his first ever attempt at Clock with a 16.53, a first Pyraminx effort of 8.37, and cutting his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 44 percent down to 28.28. Ngaatendwe Chadambuka took on four events, securing a 23rd-place finish in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a debut single of 23.13, attempting the 4x4x4 Cube for the first time with a 1:01.26, and cutting 42.8 percent off a previous Clock mark to record 18.60.

The progress continued down the order as more solvers pushed into new events and set substantial career milestones. Orion Prifti entered all five events, posting a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 1:28.72, a Clock debut of 12.82, and improving his 3x3x3 One-Handed best to 30.30, an improvement of 41.6 percent. Gideon Frincke also took on five events, logging a debut 30.13 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, a first 4x4x4 Cube time of 57.47, and an 8.12 personal best in Clock that was 36.2 percent faster than before. Jack Gilbert registered a first official mark of 2:37.18 on the 4x4x4 Cube, a debut 1:08.35 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and dropped his 3x3x3 Cube best by 28.9 percent to 22.94. Hadi Daniel Abdallah took on three events, posting debut marks of 32.22 in 3x3x3 One-Handed and 1:39.99 in 4x4x4 Cube alongside an improved 18.21 single in the classic cube.

The side events brought rapid solving to the forefront as the afternoon progressed. In Clock, 64 competitors battled across two rounds, where Reed W. Richardson clinched first place with a 3.56 winning average and an event-best single of 2.83. Thomas Grahor followed closely in second place with an average of 3.74, and Gabriel Williams V took third with 4.65. The event demanded swift dial turning and pin manipulation, producing some of the quickest times of the entire schedule.

Pyraminx brought 90 competitors together over three rounds of fast tetrahedral speed cubing. Micah David Theis seized the championship with an outstanding 2.09 winning average and the best single of the event at 1.24. Thomas Grahor earned his second podium finish of the day by securing second place with a 2.70 average, while Stanley Chapel collected another medal by placing third with a 3.03 average, demonstrating broad versatility across mechanical puzzles.

Every podium place throughout the day was claimed by competitors representing the host nation, with United States solvers sweeping all 15 top-three positions across the five disciplines. Washtenaw Winter 2025 delivered an exceptional showcase of technical skill, endurance, and widespread personal progression. As the final round results were tallied and awards handed out, the vibrant cubing competition in Ann Arbor provided a memorable early chapter to the winter tournament schedule.