Saint Francis University Athletics

2023-24
Hovan led both the Red Flash men's and women's tennis teams to their best seasons in years during the 2023-24 campaign. His efforts were enough to see him named the first NEC Men's Tennis Coach of the Year in program history.

The men's side went 12-8 overall and 5-1 in NEC play. Hovan led the men's team to the NEC Tournament final for the first time since 2017. Tyler Nguyen, Mathis Tremblay, Marc Fuste and Alan Gonzalez all earned All-Conference recognition under Hovan.

The women's team went 12-12 overall and 4-1 in the NEC in 2023-24. They made their first NEC semifinal since 2017 and saw Diana Zuba, Reagen Mangan and Sara Jankovic earn All-Conference honors under Hovan's guidance. Hovan also contributed to Diana Zuba and Tyler Nguyen winning NEC Rookie of the Year on the women's and men's side respectively.

Hovan and assistant coach Phil Palko were named Coaching Staff of the Year at the Flash Awards.

2022-23
He led the 2022-23 women's team to 10 victories, which were its most since 2013-14. He assisted Bente Vandeputte to All-NEC First Team Singles honors after she led the team with 63 total matches played, 22 overall singles wins and a 16-4 record in dual match singles. Kelly Dowuona also earned NEC All-Rookie Team honors and led the team with 16 overall doubles wins.

He led the men's program to five victories in 2022-23. Saint Francis handed St. Francis Brooklyn, the eventual NEC Champion, its only conference loss of the season with a 4-3 victory on Feb. 5. He guided Gregory Troyan to NEC All-Rookie Team honors. 

2021-22
In the 2021-22 season with the Red Flash, he led the women's program to eight wins, their highest win total since the 2016-17 season. He coached one NEC All-Rookie selection, Anoek Pruijmboom. Pruijmboom had a team-best overall singles record of 11-6 and a doubles record of 10-9 under Hovan's guidance. 

Hovan led the men's program to five victories in 2021-22, their highest total since the 2017-18 season. He guided sophomore Marc Fuste to a 12-10 singles record and one NEC Co-Player of the Week honor.

Before Saint Francis
Prior to coming to Saint Francis, Hovan spent the past 24 years coaching at Altoona Area High School. During his time with the Mountain Lions, he coached the men's and women's team to over 600 combined victories and 16 District Championships.

"Eric is the right coach to lead our programs moving forward," said Director of Athletics James Downer. "His extensive head coaching experience is an extremely valuable asset and there is no question his leadership will transition to success on the court."

At Altoona High School, he coached 45 individual district champions, including guiding eventual Rutgers commit Caitlin Baker to a 2005 state bronze medal and 2006 AAA Girls Singles Championship. Hovan also grew Altoona High School's tennis team roster from 12 girls and five boys in his first season to 50 girls and 40 boys during his time with the Mountain Lions.

Hovan is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.