LSU cheerleader Jessica Spitale is trading her pom-poms for the spotlight as she competes for Cheerleader of the Year.FOX Sports is running the tournament with its online show “The College Experiment.”FOX Sports asked universities across the country to submit pictures of their cheerleaders. Spitale, a communication studies senior and cheerleading captain, was one of eight chosen to compete from all the submissions.The competition has brackets set up similar to those of the NCAA Basketball tournament. Advancement in the competition is determined through public vote online. Contestants began the “tournament” divided into four geographical brackets: North, South, East and West, and the two cheerleaders in each bracket competed against each other to advance to the semifinals.Spitale competed against a cheerleader from the University of Texas. The winner will then compete against the winner from the North bracket.By the time first round voting closed, Spitale was ahead by about 30 percent. Those advancing in the tournament will be announced Wednesday on “The College Experiment.”Spitale is the only actual cheerleader in the competition, she said.”I want to win this award because I’m the only cheerleader. Everyone else are dancers,” Spitale said. “If they are going to call it ‘Cheerleader of the Year,’ it should be a cheerleader.”Spitale said she knows students are busy, and it is not likely they will make voting a priority.”I just want to thank everyone who voted,” she said.Each contestant filmed an interview, which was posted on the tournament’s Web site for voters to view.Spitale said contestants were not given the questions ahead of time.”He just told me to bring all my uniforms to the PMAC,” she said. “It was kind of stressful not to be prepared.”Spitale said she did not know anything about the contest until a few weeks ago, and she didn’t know her photos had been submitted.The winner will be crowned on April 7, after the men’s NCAA final game on April 5.Other contestants hail from the universities of Oregon, Southern California and Florida and Oregon State University.A Facebook group called “Vote LSU’s JESSICA for Cheerleader of the Year” was started to support her in the tournament and holds the voting information.Spitale said she has been cheering since she was in grade school, and she also did gymnastics and diving.Spitale has cheered for LSU football, men’s basketball, volleyball and gymnastics during the past four years. She will continue to cheer for a fifth year.She currently writes for American Cheerleader Magazine. – – – -Contact Joanna Zimmerman at [email protected]