Today is Saturday, October 10, 2026
According to a story in the Daily Jefferson County Union, “Monday’s Whitewater High School basketball game versus Evansville was about much more than who won or who lost. Ricardo (Ricky) Lopez-Navejas Jr., a sophomore WHS basketball member, died unexpectedly Sunday.
“We were really wanting to cancel this evening, but the family said to go forward in his (Ricky’s) honor,” Whitewater Unified School District Superintendent Caroline Pate-Hefty said. A moment of silence was held before the games began Monday night. Basketball players wore shirts in memory of Ricky warming up before the game and on the sidelines….
Tears were shed, hugs were given, and Whitewater’s community came together to support one another Monday night after a devastating tragedy.”
Here’s the post that appeared on the high school Facebook page on Tuesday:
Teary eyes, full hearts. Last evening, Whitewater came together for Ricky. Your generosity was tremendously moving and raised almost $3000 for the family of Ricardo (Ricky) Lopez-Nivejas Jr. The stands and the gyms were packed; our community, students and staff grieved together, as a family.
So many Thank yous…
Thank you to Ricky’s family for having the intuition to know that this is what our school community needed.
Thank you to our community for your generosity.
Thank you to the students who helped to set up a beautiful memorial for Ricky.
Thank you to our coaches for ensuring our students were supported and could honor Ricky’s memory yesterday.
Thank you to Aropa Designs for printing the amazing turn around in T-shirts for our students.
Thank you to our counseling and pupil services staff that gave of themselves tirelessly to assure our students and staff were okay.
Thank you to our staff for supervising and supporting while also grieving.
Thank you to the administrative team who worked tirelessly to support everyone.
Thank you to Evansville Community School District for your understanding and sportsmanship.
During this difficult time, it was heartening to see everyone come together to support one another. We will continue to accept donations for the family at the HS office through Friday, February 24th. Thank you so much. 
#24foreverwhippet
#1family
#whippetnation
3rd time’s a charm!
It was truly a team effort! The Whippet Girls’ Basketball Team (#10) defeated Clinton (#7) 57-54 in the first round of regionals on Tuesday, February 21. Losing two close games to the Cougars in the regular season, we knew we needed to play two solid halves.
We came out on fire with two steals by Cali Grosinske resulting in a 3-point shot by Danielle DePorter in our first possession. Grosinske stole the ball and hit a shot putting us up 5-0. Clinton inched ahead 5-6, but that was the last time they would lead as Kopecky hit her first of five 3-pointers of the game, putting us up 8-6. That set the tone for us offensively. Zoe Kohl, Kindyl Kilar, and Danielle DePorter joined Kopecky in connecting on shots from the arc.
Hitting those shots from outside was important for us a to counter Clinton’s zone defense. Mayte Navejas penetrated the gaps to score and create open looks on the perimeter. Senior, Cali Kopecky connected on four of her five 3s in the first half of the game.
Going into halftime we led 34-26.
The ball wouldn’t drop for us the first 5 minutes of the second half as Clinton started to close the gap 38-34. Solid defense in the lane by Kilar, Amundson, and Gillette, as well as hitting our free throws at the end of the game helped us maintain our lead. Danielle DePorter (5-5) and Kindyl Kilar (2-2) were 100% from the free throw line. Gillette hit the final bucket with 15 seconds left to secure the win.
Cali Kopecky led the Whippets with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Danielle DePorter added 11 points, and Katie Gillette scored 8. Cali Grosinske added 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Mayte Navejas also scored 7 with 5 assists and 2 steals. Kilar scored 5 and rebounded 5.
Article Submitted by Kristen Lippens
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
klippens@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
On Tuesday, February 20th we celebrated our Whitewater Boys’ Swim Team season accomplishments. We have been so impressed with the team this year! Every single swimmer on this team has been valuable, dedicated, and grown into a better swimmer in their own way. They all have seen possibilities of where they can go and look forward to seeing their growth both in the pool and out.
All Conference Awards:
2nd Team – Tyler Arnett
2nd Team – Jack Hefty
Honorable Mention – Cruz Aranda
Team Awards:
MVP – Jack Hefty
Most Dedicated – Tyler Arnett
Most Improved – Xavier Zei
Congratulations on an amazing season!
Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Co-Head Boys’ Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org
The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball team finished our regular season and honored our seniors on Friday night, February 17 when we played Clinton at home.
For game highlights, visit https://www.hudl.com/video/2/14916/63f0af0215f6020e00e861ab
The Whippets got a spark offensively early on in the game with a steal and 3-point shot by junior Danielle DePorter within the first minute of the game. Clinton answered back, hitting two/ 3-pointers in back to back possessions. Clinton packed the lane on defense making it challenging for us to get inside looks. At half we were down 27-38.
At the start of the second half, Cali Kopecky got our offense started, hitting a 3-point shot, but we got stuck at 30 while Clinton scored 11, putting us down by 19. We were able to close the gap a bit when we hit 4 consecutive 3-point shots. Our defense tightened up and forced some turnovers with our full court press and got within 3 with around 5 minutes left in the game. Clinton scored 11 of their 13 points in those last minutes on free throws to solidify the win 57-67.
Mayte Navejas led the Whippets with 16 points, followed by Danielle DePorter with 12 points, and Cali Kopecky with 10.
We play our first regional game on Tuesday, February 21 against Clinton at Clinton. Game time is 7pm.
Article and Senior Posters Submitted by Kristen Lippens
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
klippens@wwusd.org
Action Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
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