PROVIDENCE, RI –   Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced that Memphis men’s soccer player Chandler Klemm and ECU swimmer Vendela Norrman have been chosen as the recipients of the Commissioner’s Postgraduate Leadership Awards. The selections were made by The American’s Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs).  
 
The awards are given to one male and one female student-athlete from an American Athletic Conference-sponsored sport who have completed all athletic eligibility and have been admitted to a degree-granting or professional program or have intentions of applying and are committed to enrolling in a graduate or professional program. In addition, those selected also have demonstrated leadership through excellence in academic credentials, athletic performance and depth of commitment to service within the institution or in the community.
 
Klemm and Norrman each will receive a $5,000 scholarship, which may be applied to postgraduate study.
 
Klemm, the third Memphis student-athlete to earn this award, was a three-year member of the Tigers’ men’s soccer program. The St. Louis, Missouri, native has appeared in 44 matches and earned 19 starts. In 2015, he finished with seven points (two goals and three assists) while leading his team to a quarterfinal appearance in the conference championship
 
A first team CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-District honoree in 2016, Klemm helped Memphis earn the American Athletic Conference Team Excellence awards in back-to-back years (2016 and 2017). In addition, he has been named to the Dean’s List on five occasions.
 
Klemm owns a 3.90 grade-point average and will graduate in May with a degree in biological science/biochemistry. He is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Society and Alpha Lambda Delta First Year Honors Society.
 
Norrman, who hails from Tyreso, Sweden, ranks as one of the conference’s most decorated breaststrokers. The school record holder in the 200 breaststroke, she captured gold medals in that event at the 2016 and 2017 American Swimming & Diving Championships and finished third in 2018. A three-time all-conference honoree, she also earned a fifth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke in 2017. As a junior, she qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke.
 
The recipient of the 2016-17 American Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award, Norrman was named a Scholar All-American by the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) in 2017 and an honorable mention honoree in 2015 and 2016, Norrman also has earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team on three occasions. She has been named five times to the Chancellor’s List and twice to the ECU’s Dean’s List. Norrman has completed more than 123 hours of community service working with a number of different initiatives in the ECU community.
 
Norrman is working on a master’s in Business Administration. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management with a 3.946 grade-point average.

American Athletic Conference Commissioner’s Postgraduate Leadership Award Recipients
 
2013-14                                  Zach Willis, Baseball, Memphis
                                                Jackie Wattles, Volleyball, UConn
 
2014-15                                  Keenan Joyner, Track and Field, Memphis
                                                Julie Kernen, Softball, Tulsa
 
2015-16                                  Julien Dodu, Swimming & Diving, ECU
                                                Hannah Emnett, Rowing, Tulsa
 
 
2016-17                                  Kirk Smith, Cross Country/Track and Field, Tulsa
                                                Juliana Madzia, Cross Country/Track and Field, Cincinnati
 
2017-18                                  Chandler Klemm, Soccer, Memphis
                                                Vendela Norrman, Swimming & Diving, ECU