Nobody tumbles down a hill chasing a large wheel of cheese like NC State grads

It’s been a banner year—literally—for women’s athletics at NC State, and I think we can safely put a cap on it thanks to class of ‘22 graduate Abby Lampe, who won the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Race in England over the weekend.

Finesse. Artistry. Incredible athleticism. None of these things are required to win the cheese race, which involves simply hurling your person down a steep hill with no regard for potential neck/leg/back/arm/pancreas/head injuries. Here she is, the cheese champ:

As you can see, the moment was simply too big for many racers in the field, but Abby fully commits out of the gate and then hits a nice groove about midway down, putting some truly impeccable tumbling on display.

SI’s Emma Baccellieri caught up with her today:

There was just an absurd amount of crowd, and the atmosphere was amazing. They were chanting and shouting, “Cheese, cheese cheese,” which was really funny. … And the people, I didn’t expect them to be so kind after I won. Parents were asking for pictures with their children, and it was just like I was the king of the hill for a few hours, it was crazy. I’ve never gotten so many people to ask for pictures of me before.

Cheese! Cheese! Cheese! Cheese! She got to keep the wheel of cheese as a prize, and it’s on its way back across the pond.

She was also a guest on Marty Smith’s podcast today:

I’d say a halftime ceremony is in order; the people demand to see the cheese!