Wisconsin Qualifier 2024

The competition hall at Waukesha County Technical College buzzed with steady energy across two full days of solving as 88 competitors gathered for a packed weekend schedule. Judges leaned in close to inspect puzzle scrambles, timers clicked in rapid succession, and the tables stayed occupied from morning to evening. Staged over June 1 and June 2, the gathering drew participants from across the region to Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA for an ambitious 15-event slate spread over 25 total rounds.

For the local contenders competing in their home state, the atmosphere provided the ideal stage to perform under tournament conditions. Brian Johnson rose to the occasion in dominant fashion, headlining the weekend with multiple victories. The marquee 3x3x3 Cube event drew a tournament-high 83 competitors across three rounds, where Johnson captured the title with a winning average of 7.18 seconds and a tournament single of 5.99 seconds, topping the final 3x3 results on Sunday.

Johnson did not stop with the classic Rubik's Cube. Demonstrating remarkable versatility across different puzzle formats, he also secured first place in the 4x4x4 Cube with an average of 31.66 seconds, highlighted by a best single of 27.04 seconds. His winning ways continued in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 10.95 seconds, and he claimed the Square-1 crown with an average of 7.42 seconds, finishing ahead of Carter Kucala at 9.54 seconds and Lucas Lippman-Bruno at 11.79 seconds.

Simon Kellum proved equally formidable across the shorter and non-cubic disciplines, putting on a clinic throughout this WCA competition. Kellum took first place in the 2x2x2 Cube with a winning average of 2.08 seconds, holding off Lucas Lippman-Bruno who averaged 2.69 seconds and Carter Kucala with 2.71 seconds. Kellum added another pair of victories by winning Pyraminx with an average of 1.83 seconds ahead of Kucala at 2.74 and Johnson at 3.27, while also capturing the Skewb title with an average of 2.71 seconds.

Big-cube enthusiasts enjoyed a masterclass from Max Walaszek, who swept the largest puzzles on the schedule. Walaszek won the 5x5x5 Cube with an average of 55.91 seconds, took the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:31.17, and finished off the treble by capturing the 7x7x7 Cube with a mark of 2:39.50. In other rotation events across the cubing competition, Austin Worley won Megaminx with a 43.21 average over Johnson's 49.48, while Reed W. Richardson captured Clock with a 4.37 average ahead of Zachary Cribb at 5.18.

The blindfolded events tested memory and nerve across eight to thirteen specialists. Brayden Thompson won 3x3x3 Blindfolded with an average of 21.21 seconds and a best single of 20.26 seconds, besting Carter Kucala's 25.46. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, Jacob Turrubiartes secured victory with a single time of 2:44.84, finishing ahead of Thomas Reinke at 4:14.41 and János Csontos at 6:28.26. Carter Kucala then claimed the 5x5x5 Blindfolded title with a single of 8:22.38, while Csontos took second at 10:30.00.

Beyond the podiums, the event produced remarkable personal milestones for competitors testing themselves against the clock. Grayden Barnett showed massive growth across four events, cutting his Pyraminx personal best to 8.04 seconds, which was 71.8 percent faster than his prior 28.55, while also dropping his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 49.3 percent to 5.93 seconds and trying Skewb for the first time with a 4.57. Sawyer Paul logged a Skewb personal best of 5.19 seconds, representing a 69.1 percent improvement over 16.82, and made his first attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a 7.48. Lucas Hernandez dropped his Skewb best by 64.6 percent down to 8.10 seconds and took on the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time, logging a time of 3:28.77. Micah Wendland improved his Skewb personal best by 48.1 percent to 9.37 seconds and entered 4x4x4 Cube for the first time with a 1:33.62.

Other competitors took on fresh disciplines across the speed cubing program. Spencer Lieu took down his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 45 percent with a 4.43 single and posted his first official Skewb attempt at 27.54 seconds. Eian Bergum tackled six events, recording first-time attempts in Clock at 24.84 seconds and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:30.38 while also improving his Skewb time by 31.3 percent to 14.52. Louis Funk embraced a busy 10-event workload, highlighted by an 11th-place finish in Square-1 alongside first-time attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 27.11 and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:13.09. Westin Sullivan took on five events, logging first-ever attempts in Pyraminx at 9.66 seconds, Skewb at 11.34 seconds, and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:35.08.

The tournament wrapped up as a resounding celebration of speedcubing across Wisconsin in 2024. From the biggest puzzles to the quickest sprints, the depth of talent on display proved that the region remains a hotbed for competitive cubers looking to make their mark on the national scene. With another full weekend of competition in the books, Wisconsin Qualifier 2024 stands as a testament to the dedication of every solver who took a seat at the tables.