Tracy Kerner mounted the balance beam for about the millionth time in her life.

It was the first routine of an otherwise ordinary practice for the sophomore on the women's gymnastics team.

It was a balance beam she had climbed upon and dismounted from countless times. But this time, as Kerner landed after a front full twist dismount, something went wrong -- something snapped.

It was her knee.

"I was still twisting when I hit the ground," Kerner said. "I was twisting, my foot was planted and my knee wasn't going to twist with it. I think I did hear something, I tried to deny it. But I tore my anterior cruciate ligament."

And just like that, Kerner, who had floated through a picture-perfect freshman season, had been stung by the sophomore jinx in the harshest of ways. The Meadowbrook native, who will redshirt this season, had surgery on Jan. 8.

She wasted no time in her rehabilitation.

"I started the day after surgery," said Kerner, who shares the team record with a 9.9 on uneven bars. "I was in the hospital and they brought me downstairs for rehabilitation."

She will spend about a month on crutches -- and about eight months in rehabilitation before she can go full strength in the gym. After that, she will continue to wear a much smaller knee brace than the gigantic apparatus that now engulfs her leg.

"It's just letting the bone regenerate and accept the restructuring (of the knee)," Kerner said. "It just takes a long time to adjust."

Her teammates and coach are still adjusting to the loss.

"At first, it was like a slap in the face," freshman Nancy Rosenheck said. "(But) she's been so helpful just in motivating us."

Coach Steve Shepard said, "We were really looking forward to Tracy competing for us; she was one of our top performers last year."

Last Saturday, Kerner got her first taste of the sidelines. Instead of marching onto the Rec Hall floor with her teammates, she hobbled in on crutches and her gargantuan brace.

"It was really tough," she said of watching the Lady Lions' dual meet victory over Michigan State and Louisiana State. "It's hard to be on the sidelines for anything, but I try not to dwell on it or moan about it."

Kerner managed to smile about what she saw from this year's crop of freshmen, who have been forced to swallow an even larger role due to Kerner's absence.

"They did a great job," she said after the meet. "They really showed they were competitors. Hopefully I'll have a couple more years with them."