Softball player Cadence Dempsey and track runner Ollie Francis were named Forester Athletes of the Week on Tuesday.

Dempsey helped lead Lake Forest to three victories over the weekend as the team won the 2025 Midwest Conference Tournament. She was 5-for-7 at the plate with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored, and six driven in as the Foresters defeated Grinnell College 10-2 and Illinois College 4-3 on Friday before coming out on top 8-5 against Grinnell in the championship on Saturday. The junior third baseman also drew a pair of walks, stole a base, and handled all 13 of her chances in the field without an error.

Along with the MWC Tourney title comes the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and the Foresters will travel to St. Louis, Dempsey's hometown, for this weeks regional event, which begins on Thursday.

Francis won the 800m at the MWC Championship Meet at Lawrence University on Saturday. The sophomore passed a pair of former champions in the event coming out of the final turn and held them off over the final 100m for the victory. His final time of 1:55.60 had him cross the line just 0.28 seconds before the runner-up.

It was the first conference title for Francis, who had not finished higher than 10th in the league during any of his first three indoor or outdoor championship meets.

Forester Athletes of the Week are selected by a vote of athletic department staff on Tuesdays. Francis also earned the award twice earlier this season and once in 2023-24.