Hartford Athletic Adds Defender TJ Presthus
Former Ivy League Defender of the Year adds needed to depth to the Latics back line
Hartford Athletic announced the signing of defender TJ Presthus. Presthus is the sixth new signing of the 2024-25 offseason, and the third new member of the back line, following the additions of Adrián Diz Pe and Sebastian Anderson.
Presthus, a native of New Albany, Ohio, spent the last four years as a member of the Yale University Bulldogs, earning All-Ivy League First Team selections in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and winning Ivy League Defender of the Year in 2023. Presthus started all 70 games the Bulldogs contested over four years, as a virtual ever-present on the Yale back line.
Prior to joining Yale, Presthus played for the Columbus Crew SC Academy at the U-15, U-17, and U-19 levels, and was their Academy Player of the Year in 2020. Other highlights of his time with the Crew Academy include captaining the U-15 team to first place in the Mid-America USDA division in 2019, and a semifinal run in the Generation Adidas Cup in 2019.
Successful college players are a key part of the makeup of the USL Championship at this juncture — and while at the moment Presthus projects to start the season on the bench — his pedigree suggests he can also compete for minutes and at minimum serve as a solid rotational player. His signing provides much-needed depth in the short term, with the potential for something more over the longer haul.
The Blazing Musket will continue to have coverage of all of Hartford Athletic’s offseason moves as they are announced.