ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A two-time All-American in floor exercise, Natalie Beilstein was primed for a memorable junior season.

Then it was taken away.

The Knoch graduate and University of Michigan gymnast tore her Achilles while competing in floor exercise at Minnesota in January. The injury occurred during the Wolverines’ second meet of the year.

Beilstein had tied for first on bars earlier in that meet. In the team’s season-opening meet against Ohio State, she tied her career high with a 9.925 in floor exercise.

“My Achilles had been sore for a while before I ruptured and tore it,” Beilstein said. “I figured it was something I could just work through. We didn’t have as many (roster) numbers as we had this year, so I competed hard and often. But I pushed it too far.

“I had never been injured before that. How I come back from this mentally is my biggest concern.”

But she is definitely in comeback mode.

Beilstein is on schedule to graduate at the end of the 2012-13 academic year with a degree in sociology. She plans to stay at Michigan for graduate school.

Such a move could open her up to a medical redshirt and one more year of gymnastics at Michigan following this one.

“You don’t apply for a medical redshirt until you decide you want to take one,” Michigan coach Bev Plocki, a Butler graduate, said. “There’s a lot of variables that go with that.

“Often times, it’s a recruiting thing. Is there going to be an extra scholarship available that year? Maybe someone else gets hurt and one opens up. I’ve talked to Natalie and we’ll cross that (redshirt) bridge when we come to it.”

In the meantime, there is this coming season. And Beilstein wants to make it count.

“I’ve worked too hard at rehab to not make it worth uit,” she said.

The injury occurred Jan. 21. Beilstein had surgery done four days later.

She was in a cast for a week, then a boot for six weeks.

“I wasn’t allowed to walk on that boot for more than a month,” she said. “I was on crutches for a couple of months.”

Five months after the surgery, Beilstein was able to do some gymnastics workouts on the bars. She didn’t begin vaulting until three weeks ago.

“I still can’t back-tumble or do some things that are part of my regular routine,” she said. “It’s been a lot harder to stay in shape, being so restricted physically for so long.

“My prognosis is that I’ll be back to full physical capacity once we begin competiong again in January. But my confidence has to be there, too.”

Beilstein has built an impressive resume’ at Michigan. She is a two-time NCAA Regional runnerup on vault, 2010 Regional floor exercise champion and runnerup in 2011, made first team All-Big Ten in 2011 and was Big Ten vault champion in 2010.

“The biggest question mark with Natalie right now is the mental aspect,” Plocki said. “I’m fully confident she’ll be there physically. Her surgery was a huge success and I’ve had numerous other gymnasts come back from that exact same injury.

“Whether the total package is there ... No one will know until she gets back out there in a competitive setting.”

Plocki said Beilstein is capable of winning a national championship.

“Floor exercise is her best opportunity to do that,” the coach said. “She’s very strong on vault, but there is plenty of competition there. Uneven bars was her weakest event when she first came here. but Natalie has made incredible strides there.

“In floor exercise, she is dynamic and her personality and attitude shine through. Her tumbling skills are tremendous and she explodes into her routine.

“She’s got that smile ... She’s so charismatic that she brings people into her routine. She has that affect on the judges, too,” Plocki added.

Beilstein’s goals for her senior year are basic, yet definitive.

“It’s my senior year,” she said. “I want to have a great time and max out performance-wise in every event I’m in. Where that takes me, it takes me.”

Plocki is 587-212-2 in her coaching career at Michigan, including 18 Big Ten titles and a current run of 22 consecutive winning seasons.

Unlike her coach, Beilstein’s gymnastics career will come to an end when her collegiate eligibility expires.

“Once women get up into their 20’s, our bodies can’t take it,” she said. “I’ll be sad and I’ll miss it terribly, but it will be time to start the next phase of my life.”