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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - The three members of the 2025 Embry-Riddle Athletics Hall of Fame Class were honored in a ceremony on Saturday morning at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. The Eagles' eighth Hall of Fame class celebrated the accomplishments and legacy of Michael Pyle (basketball), Tova Torstensson (soccer)and Daniel Whelan (soccer).
Michael Pyle donned the Blue & Gold for the men's basketball team from 2004-06, piecing together one of the more impressive stints at Embry-Riddle. Pyle is one of 34 Eagles to reach the 1,000-point plateau, doing so in just two seasons. He was highly regarded within the program as well, being named team captain for the electric 31-3 2006 squad that was ranked No. 1 in the nation at one point.
Now helping to lead local Brown & Brown Insurance, Pyle led the Eagles to a 57-11 record over his two seasons, garnering All-America status twice, along with being named the 2005 Sun Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2005 and Player of the Year in 2006. Along with his 1,060 points, Pyle finished ranked in the top-10 in ERAU career field goal percentage (57%) and rebounding average (8.0 rpg) and tallied an impressive 22 career double-doubles.
Tova Torstensson was a standout four-year student-athlete for the Embry-Riddle women's soccer team. The Stockholm, Sweden native came to Embry-Riddle in the fall of 2010 and immediately secured a spot in the starting lineup, anchoring the Eagles' back line. By the end of her career, she had started in each of her 86 games played and is Embry-Riddle's all-time leader in minutes played (6,962). Torstensson was part of the group that helped Embry-Riddle women's soccer achieve national prominence in the NAIA ranks. During her time with the Eagles, Embry-Riddle made four NAIA National Tournament appearances, including three consecutive trips to the national quarterfinals. In addition, the Blue and Gold won The Sun Conference regular season title in 2010 and 2011 and the Sun Conference tournament championship in 2012.
While her position isn't one known for filling up a stat sheet, Torstensson's presence on the back line helped the Eagles to some impressive team numbers, such as 41 shutouts in her four years, including 12 in 2013. She also made her presence felt on the offensive end of the field, capping her career with 16 points on three goals and 10 assists. Torstensson holds the distinction of being the only Embry-Riddle women's soccer player to earn NAIA All-America honors four times. She was a first team selection in 2010, a second team honoree in 2011 and was named to the third team in 2012 and 2013. Torstensson was also a four-time first team All-Conference selection.
Selected team captain as a sophomore, Torstensson retained that title throughout the remainder of her career, leading the Eagles on and off the field. A 2013 CoSIDA (now College Sports Communicators) Academic All-District selection with a 3.48 GPA in pursuit of her undergraduate degree in Business Administration, she was also a tutor for accounting and finance in Embry-Riddle's College of Business.
Whelan was a standout midfielder for Embry-Riddle men's soccer from 2003-06. The program endured one of its most successful stretches while Whelan was on the pitch as he helped the to Eagles four-straight Florida Sun Conference championships, three-consecutive regional titles, and four trips to the NAIA National Tournament.
Over four years, Whelan competed in 74 contests, making 72 starts. Whelan produced 102 points, becoming just the fourth member of the program's 100-point club at the time. That total includes 28 goals and 46 assists, which rank second on the program's all-time list.
His outstanding production led to Whelan receiving All-American honors on three occasions. He was also a three-time All-Region selection and earned All-Conference honors in each of his four seasons. Academically, Whelan was named to the Academic All-District team in 2005.
Whelan's most notable season occurred in 2005 when he was named the NAIA Region XIV and Florida Sun Conference Player of the Year. Whelan was the only Eagle to start all 19 matches and led the squad with a team-high 41 points and 17 assists. Then in 2006, Whelan assisted the Eagles in reaching the top spot in the national poll for the first and only time in program history.
Whelan graduated from Embry-Riddle with a degree in Business in 2007 and is in his 11th season as the head coach of the University of Mobile's men's soccer program. While with the Rams, Whelan has amassed an overall record of 145-43-15, has led the program to six regular season conference championships and as many appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. He has been named the Southern States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on four occasions.
