A homecoming queen, a long-distance marathon runner and a “foxy five combo” were just a handful of the 50 students who braved their egos Friday evening, auctioning themselves off at ISU After Dark’s Date Auction.

Money raised from the auction will help support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, which will be held in Ames in February.

The total raised for the night ended at $1,130, with the Theta Chi team coming in first place for the most money raised and the “Maple Kids” team taking second. The highest bid for the night was $80.

“We [were] just hoping to raise as much money as possible,” said Sara Kellogg, co-adviser for ISU After Dark. “We would have wanted to raise $500, and we doubled that.”

The idea to hold a date auction and dance was originated by the members of ISU After Dark, who thought the evening was a unique way of getting students together to raise money.

“It was the first date auction we’ve ever done,” said Kellogg, program director for the office of Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention. “We [were] just hoping it went well.”

Michele Hart, president of the ISU After Dark organization and a member of Fight Against Cancer Together (FACT), came up with the idea of making the date auction into a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society.

“I’m really glad to be a part of the team,” said Hart, junior in marketing. “It’s for a good cause, and it’s lots of fun.”

FACT is a student-run organization that is bringing the Relay for Life walk to the Ames community. Hart said making the ISU After Dark event into a fund-raiser for FACT was an ideal combination which united the efforts of the two groups.

Kellogg said 250 to 300 people attended the date auction and dance held in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. Ben Nelson, sophomore in pre-business, and Andy Havlovic, freshman in hotel, restaurant and institutional management, served as student auctioneers.

Kellogg said the auctioned individuals were under no obligation to go on a date with the person or persons who did the bidding. However, the students who had the final bid were not only rewarded with the person they bought and supporting the American Cancer Society, but were also eligible to receive a $25 gift certificate for Ames restaurants, movie tickets and bowling certificates. A majority of the prizes were donated by Ames businesses, and ISU After Dark added their own contributions to the pile.

Ryan Turner, junior in marketing and management, said he chose to be auctioned as an “ultimate supporter of cancer research.”

Turner’s mother was diagnosed and successfully treated for colon cancer in 1995. He said he had an ulterior motive for his good deed, however.

“What guy doesn’t want to be auctioned off and have a bunch of girls bidding on him?” Turner said.