Mr. and Ms. Penn to be crowned tonight

If you build them, they will come. The fifth annual Mr. & Ms. Penn Bodybuilding Contest is practically sold out for tonight's show at the International House which seats 500 spectators. The contest, featuring 25 contestants, is a fundraiser for the women's track team and begins at 7 p.m. According to track coach Tony Tenisci, who runs the event, the athletes competing all dieted and trained to build up their bodies for at least a month in preparation. They went on protein and vegetable diets -- free of sweets, oils, carbohydrates. "I have an excellent group," Tenisci said. "They dieted through finals a nd the holidays to get ready. It takes a solid month. You have to stay focused." Discipline and physical fitness were nothing new for contestant Noelle Mendez, an aerobics teacher. "I decided I wanted to tone up and have some fun," the senior said. "I figured I'd have nothing to lose." In the contest, each athlete is judged on two rounds of posing. The first consists of six mandatory poses and the second is a 70 second individual routine to music of the athlete's choice. Of the 30 possible points each contestant can earn, 20 can be obtained from the individual round when judges evaluate personality and creativity. "We've all met each other and it should be a pretty close contest," said freshman light-weight Andy Day. Day, who has been lifting weights for two years, expressed some nervousness as well as excitement over the large crowd. Based on successful ticket sales over the years, Tenisci has a "bigger vision" for the event. "In the future I'd like to see it become a Big 5 or Ivy League competition," he said. Following the contest, the athletes will take a group trip to Chili's to resume their normal diets. "The kids will be eating for two days afterwards," Tenisci said.