Muscles flex at U. competition

It was billed as an amateur event, but no one would have known it. Competition was fierce last night as 23 University students took part in the first annual "Mr. and Ms. Penn" bodybuilding competition. More than 400 screaming fans packed into the Annenberg School Theatre to watch the Hulk Hogans of Penn show off their well-built bods. "It's a cold night outside, but it's gonna be a hot one tonight," announced Women's Track Coach and Master of Ceremonies Tony Tenisci, to the delight of the fans. The competitors were separated into three categories: women's, men's lightweight -- less than 180 pounds --and men's heavyweight. The bodybuilders, who were clad in tight Speedos and bikinis and drenched in a combination of baby oil and suntan lotion, were all greeted to thunderous applause, whistling and cheers. Two women even threw underwear onto the stage. Each competitor started with a set of compulsory moves and ended with a personal routine. The mandatory moves included a double front bicep, side chest, back double bicep, side tricep and an optional pose. The competition was sponsored by the women's track and field team, headed by Tenisci. Proceeds from the event will help the team travel to England this summer for a track meet. Tenisci, who introduced a similar event at Washington State University 10 years ago, said the competition there "became a very popular activity on campus." "I wanted to use it as a fundraiser for my team and I wanted to give the opportunity to all the young people here?to compete in this sport," he said. "I thought that Penn was a great university to try this in." College senior Lynn Aronica -- a rather petite gymnast who displayed a powerful six-pack rivaling the mens' -- was named "Ms. Penn" as the winner in the women's competition. Wharton senior Karyn Smith took second place and College junior Caitlin Riley placed third. "I didn't know what to expect at all going in to it," Aronica said after the competition. "I just went out there to have fun and winning was second-hand." Aronica added that since she was already doing basic conditioning for gymnastics, she did "very little" extra training for the competition. Riley said that like the other women, she was quite nervous before competing. "I wasn't looking forward to it -- I didn't think it was a very feminine thing to do," said Riley last night. "[But] once you hear your friends, it was fine -- it was a lot of fun." In the men's lightweight division, College junior Frank Schembri took first place, followed by Wharton senior Brad Wollenzier and Wharton sophomore Chris Harper. "Above all, I thought it was very fun," Schembri said. "I wasn't nervous [but] I thought I had a lot of competition." Harper predicts that the event will be "even bigger and better" next year. Wharton freshman Craig Green won the men's heavyweight division, followed by Wharton sophomore Chris Tarrach and College freshman Anthony Inverso. Tarrach, who stunned the crowd when he went into the splits, said he had to "work all the body parts two times a week" to get in shape for the event. Wharton sophomore Maurice Barton, who came to cheer on his friends Harper and Smith, said he considered the event a success. "I thought it was a great idea," he said. "I definitely think this is a good thing for Penn." Tenisci said he was pleased with the performances of all the competitors. "To get this kind of quality is a wonderful statement for Penn," he said. "It was a pleasure to present these kids -- they were a dream to work with."