Sam Hovan joined the Longwood athletics department as assistant director of athletics communications for digital media in November, 2018 before being elevated to Director of Athletics Communications in January 2022. He serves the department in a dual role as lead broadcaster for all sports as well as the communications contact for a variety of sports.

A native of Elkhart, Indiana, Hovan earned his master's degree in broadcast and digital journalism from the prestigious Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2013 and came to Longwood from Arizona Western College where he spent the past four years in do-it-all role as sports information director and lead broadcaster for the school's eight-team athletics department.

With the Matadors, Hovan carried televised broadcasts for the school's football program as well as the men's and women's basketball program. During his time there, he added an online livestream for the baseball, men's and women's soccer, softball and volleyball programs, while also producing all publicity and coverage for the department. He significantly raised both the quality of Arizona Western's broadcasts and the quantity of games produced during his time in Yuma, while also serving the department in a fundraising role and helped raise more than $100,000 for the school through memberships, sponsorships and various philanthropic events during his tenure.

At Longwood, Hovan is the lead broadcaster, calling all men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball games airing on WVHL Kickin' Country 92.9 FM, as well as various Longwood's Olympic sports airing on ESPN+.

Hovan also spent time in professional baseball, working with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball as a broadcast and media assistant for the 2014 season. He gained experience as a play-by-play broadcaster and a color commentator and a host of the pregame and postgame shows with the Saints, while also producing content for the team's website and game programs.

Prior to jumping into the realm of athletics communications, Hovan put his bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from LeTourneau University to use as a high school teacher in Texas. After two years in the classroom, he began pursuit of his master's at Syracuse, which saw him land his first job in sports with The Devils Den, a recruiting website and digital media outlet devoted to coverage of Duke University athletics, as part of his master's capstone project.

Hovan and his wife, Alaina, have two daughters and reside in Farmville.