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Tumbling her way to fame: NC State alum becomes cheese-rolling champion

Abby Lampe won the 2022 Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake near Gloucester, England.

GLOUCESTER, UK — Abby Lampe is the first American to win the British cheese-rolling contest in Gloucester, England. On Monday, the North Carolina State University alumna became a viral sensation after tumbling her way to fame.

Lampe recently graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in industrial and systems engineering. She's a fourth-generation Wolfpack. 

She was in Barcelona, Spain for an international study trip and flew to the United Kingdom to participate in the women's division of the 2022 Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling contest.

The Cooper's Hill Cheese Roll is an annual race held at Cooper's Hill in Gloucester. Competitors roll down the 200-yard-long hill to win a Double Gloucester cheese wheel. 

Last year's race was canceled due to COVID, but when she heard it was happening this year, she decided to sign up for it even though it coincided with her travel-abroad plans. 

Lampe won the British race, making her the first American woman to leave with the cheese wheel in hand.

Scratched and bruised from the tumble down the 200-yard hill, the cheese-chasing champ did interviews with British media after the event, drawing attention from spectators from around the world. She got requests from newspapers, local television stations, NC State's reporter for Sports Illustrated, the NC State alumni magazine and several fan sites after her victory. 

"It's been kind of wild," Lampe said. 

Lampe is practically Wolfpack royalty with a family legacy that goes back generations. 

Her great-grandfather was J. Harold Lampe, the longest serving dean of the School of Engineering in the institution's history (1945-1962). 

Her parents and grandparents also attended NC State.

"I knew I had to represent NC State well during the race," she said. 

Lampe returns to her international study program and will travel many parts of the European mainland before starting her job in October. 


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