Welcome Back Tulsa 2025

Inside the event space at Embassy Suites, puzzle timers clicked steadily across rows of tournament stations as the 2025 speedcubing calendar kicked into gear. A field of 66 competitors gathered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, for a single, action-packed day of competition on March 8, 2025. With six different puzzles scheduled and 13 total rounds to navigate, the regional meet offered an ideal early-season proving ground for seasoned veterans and new contenders alike to test their solving speed on the tournament stage.

The 3x3x3 Cube contest, universally regarded as the centerpiece of any WCA competition, drew a dense field of 65 participants. Titus Sutterfield controlled the final through three intense stages of elimination, securing victory with an average of 7.90 seconds alongside the event's best single solve of 7.22. Isaiah Baker took the runner-up spot with an 8.25 average, closely followed by Zachary Walden in third at 8.34, rounding out a fiercely competitive set of 3x3 results at the top of the classic Rubik's Cube bracket.

Beyond the main event, Titus Sutterfield continued his strong run by capturing top honors in Skewb, finishing with a winning average of 3.74 and a single of 3.32 across three rounds. Kaden Christopher Dockins claimed second place on the Skewb podium with a 4.09 average, while Ryan Pilat placed third with a mark of 5.14. Sutterfield's consistent turning across multiple puzzles cemented his position among the standout performers of the entire weekend.

Ryan Pilat mounted a dominant performance of his own across several events, securing four separate tournament victories. Pilat swept the 2x2x2 Cube with a winning average of 1.56, holding off Kaden Christopher Dockins at 2.31 and Isaiah Baker at 2.56. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Pilat paced the 30-player field with a winning average of 50.44 and the best single of the day at 43.86, finishing ahead of Zachary Walden's 55.73 and Lydia Workman's 1:02.59.

Pilat extended his winning tally in the side events, capturing first place in Clock with a 5.54 average, edging out Trenton Cuzick at 5.64 and Titus Sutterfield at 6.10. In Megaminx, Pilat posted a winning average of 41.54 and a low single of 34.88, leading Jake Maddox in second at 52.46 and Sutterfield in third at 1:00.10. Altogether, Pilat and Sutterfield combined to take every gold medal awarded throughout the program.

Away from the top of the podiums, the cubing competition provided plenty of remarkable breakthroughs for participants tracking substantial personal milestones. Ryker Wann delivered a massive improvement in Skewb, dropping his personal best to 6.21 seconds, a 70.2 percent drop from his previous mark of 20.87, while also logging his first ever tournament attempts in Clock at 18.56 and Megaminx at 2:53.76. Jonah C. Wineinger had a stellar day across five events, finishing 12th in 2x2x2 Cube with a personal best of 2.00 seconds, 30.8 percent faster than before, while slicing his Skewb best by 51.3 percent down to 4.85 seconds and trying the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time with a 1:47.26 finish.

Other competitors similarly embraced the challenge of new events and rapid progression across the board. Asher Dickey tackled six disciplines, posting his first official attempts in Clock at 17.26, Megaminx at 2:32.34, and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:25.72, while finishing 22nd in the 3x3x3 Cube. Landon Kobliska matched that six-event workload, recording debut marks of 30.24 in Clock, 3:47.79 in Megaminx, and 2:27.14 in 5x5x5 Cube. Weston Smoliak achieved a 16th-place finish in 5x5x5 Cube with a personal best of 1:56.46, 21.2 percent faster than his prior standard, while logging first-time results in Skewb at 13.01 and Megaminx at 2:33.70. Caleb Burba cut his 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 33.5 percent to 3:02.19 and registered his first Megaminx result at 3:15.10. Braden Rowlett took on two events, cutting his 3x3x3 Cube best by 26.2 percent to 9.60 seconds alongside a first-time 5x5x5 Cube solve of 1:42.22. Fernando Robles Alvarado took part in his very first official tournament, entering four events and finishing 23rd in 5x5x5 Cube with a 2:23.54 time.

By the end of the day, all 18 podium positions were awarded to competitors representing the USA, reflecting the depth of talent present at Welcome Back Tulsa 2025. With sharp early-season marks and substantial personal progress recorded up and down the roster, the speed cubing gathering in Tulsa set a formidable standard for the months of competition still ahead.