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Results:

Ms. EIU: Jaclyn Silvestri

Mr. EIU bantam weight class winner: Mike Leon

Mr. EIU middle weight class winner: Chester Dudzik

Mr. EIU heavy weight class winner: Austin Signor

Mr. EIU: Chester Dudzik

After months of training and struggling through diet and daily exercise, Chester Dudzik and Jaclyn Silvestri were crowned Mr. and Ms. EIU Fitness, respectively.

Students, family and friends crowded into the Grand Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Friday night for the annual bodybuilding contest.

Overall, 12 students competed in the Mr./Ms. EIU Fitness competition.

The crowd cheered and chanted throughout the night in support of the competitors.

Starting off the competition was the Ms. EIU contest.

For Ms. EIU Fitness, judges looked for symmetry and a well-proportioned body, as well as athleticism, the routine and maneuver.

Silvestri, a sophomore physical education and health/drivers’ education major, competed against two other women to take home the title Ms. EIU Fitness.

“It’s a relief to win this competition, and I worked so hard to be here,” she said.

Despite Silvestri’s own commitment to the competition, her family also dealt with the hardships it took to eventually win the Ms. EIU Fitness competition.

“My parents had to go through my pains of only eating certain foods, but this challenge for me and everyone around me was an experience once in a lifetime,” she said.

Karen Armour took second place, and Lauren Sopcic took third.

“We are all in great shape, and I’m proud of what I accomplished finishing the entire competition, because we all worked hard,” said Sopcic, a junior biology major.

Armour, a dietetics graduate student, was looking forward to competing, having previously competed at Southern Illinois University in 2003.

“I’m really excited to be part of this competition, and I feel great, and I’m good with the second place,” Armour said.

For the Mr. EIU fitness contest, three different weight classes competed first in their own class. The winners of each category then competed against each other for the title of Mr. EIU.

For Mr. EIU, the judges looked at whether the muscles can be seen clearly, whether the competitor is a good poser and whether his body is symmetrical.

Out of four competitors in the bantamweight class, Mike Leon won the title of Mr. EIU in this weight fraction.

“I won last year in this same weight class, and I hope I can move up a weight class in the next year’s competition,” said Leon, a journalism major.

Advancing to the next round, Leon saw disappointment though in the final competition.

“I fell short of winning the overall, and I really wanted to win, but I’m happy for the winner,” Leon said.

Austin Signor, a junior economics major, was the winner of the heavyweight class. He said he was overwhelmed and grateful for the support of his football teammates.

“I had to juggle football practice and exercising for this event around 90 days ahead, and it was hard, and without the incredible support of my teammates and friends, I could not have made it this far,” Signor said.

Dudzik, a senior biology and pre-med major, won the title in the middleweight class division. After winning the title Mr. EIU, he found it hard to describe his joy in words.

“I worked out so hard for many years, and I made a lot of sacrifices to get where I am tonight,” Dudzik said. “I am speechless and my dream has finally come true.”

Eun-Yong Park can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].