A Northwest College student was airlifted from the top of Heart Mountain on Saturday afternoon after injuring her knee.

Juliana Ribeiro, a 22-year-old sophomore and NWC basketball player from Brazil, had been participating in the 2019 Heart of a Trapper Hike when she suffered the injury.

NWC head women’s basketball coach Camden Levett called it a “freak accident.”

“We had all of our girls at the top and took a team picture, then sent the girls down on their own and told them to be careful,” Levett said. Not far from the summit, Ribeiro slipped in loose gravel and “she felt her knee buckle in a little bit,” the coach said. The injury left her unable to continue the descent.

The Park County Sheriff’s Office was called and three search and rescue ground teams deployed to the mountain around 11:45 a.m.

“After it was determined that Ribeiro was only 15-20 feet from the summit, a helicopter from Tip Top Search and Rescue out of Sublette County was requested to evacuate her,” said Park County Search and Rescue Coordinator Lance Mathess.

“She couldn’t put any weight on it, so it was really the only way to get her down,” said Levett.

One of the ground teams and members of Cody Regional Health Wilderness Medical Team reached Ribeiro at 2:35 p.m. and began preparing her for the helicopter. After arriving at the scene, the Sublette County pilot decided to land on top of the mountain, touching down at 3:48 p.m. Ribeiro was loaded on the chopper and flown to the head of the Heart Mountain Trail, where she was taken by ambulance to Powell Valley Hospital for further treatment, the sheriff’s office said.

Initial X-Rays on Ribiero’s knee turned up negative for any long-term damage, and Levett and Ribiero were hoping for an MRI Monday after the swelling goes down.

Levett praised medical first responders, Park County Search and Rescue and NWC personnel for their efforts.

“It was just a crazy incident that happened at the top of a mountain, but I think everybody handled it well,” Levett said, adding that, “NWC and search and rescue really took care of her.”

Asked what Ribeiro thought of her helicopter ride, Levett said the player told him it was “scary.”

“I told her she made a lot of people jealous not having to hike back down,” he said, laughing.

The third annual Heart of a Trapper event featured an 8-mile hike from the base to the top of Heart Mountain, with a 10k option for those who wanted to run.

Ribeiro had participated in last year’s hike as a freshman.

Sheriff Scott Steward said all of the expenses associated with the rescue — including the helicopter — will be paid for out of the Wyoming State Search and Rescue fund, “which you all contribute to when you donate when you buy hunting and fishing licenses and contribute extra on ATV registrations.”

— Tribune Sports Editor Don Cogger contributed reporting.