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Lincoln ? Nebraska Cheer Squad member Anne Marie Rye has earned a spot in the second round of the Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest, sponsored by JVC, and Husker fans have an opportunity to vote her into the championship round until Oct. 13.
Voting for round two began Saturday, Sept. 22 and will run through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13. No registration is necessary to vote and there is no limit to the number of times a person can vote. Husker fans are encouraged to vote for Rye right now at www.athlonsports.com/spirit.
As of noon on Monday, Rye held a narrow lead among the seven competitors in her round, just ahead of Florida State's Taylor Nix.
The Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest is entering its fifth year. At least 32 spirit contestants from across the country are chosen to participate in the contest, which runs from September until the national championship game in January.
The competition consists of four rounds, featuring seven cheerleaders or dancers in each round (one from each BCS conference and one non-BCS representative). Fans can vote for their favorite spirit contestant, and at the conclusion of the regular season, spirit contestants will advance to the championship round, which is held during the bowl season.
Qualifiers will advance to the championship round by either receiving the most votes in her round, or by receiving the most votes in her conference. The winner of the championship round wins the overall contest.
Rye, a junior communications major from Lincoln, will try to become the second Husker to win the Athlon Sideline Spirit Contest. In 2004, former Husker Cheer Squad member Chelsea Kimmerling captured the honor. The nursing major from Beatrice, Neb., received more than 95,000 votes, nearly 36,000 votes ahead of the runner-up from North Carolina State.
The 2007 Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest winner will be featured in the 2008 Athlon Sports College Football annuals and her school's spirit squad will receive $1,000, plus 2 JVC Camcorders, a 42-inch LCD JVC TV and a JVC Portable Kaboom Box.
Earlier this season, Husker fans showed their school spirit by voting Lil' Red into the third induction class of the Mascot Hall of Fame.