JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?1ni})3DT(ZDR 48pN=ÌPKN8=*@PNM^xhzvj@svߛ1i0|U[ҤevSU@y{ aݩ T*i ~t*r8)ii:T/ R0>4<LL`Pq҉R1e1+@Ӏ*+ՁxRlc?Z d X#? ƿ %"FR޸~gkY0.ߙp=_oqɥ1^INL hډ+B:<z:)ӎ2>C}Er6>8**TQRm6 Kh`_Sʗ8M&Oei{i4Ei gS31?B@]oPҦoåDyl`RGPmtD,aQԱ.?ܟk[1H q%o81DZe )*> \v:Q^Gzo[XQGFsU؉Pc$xώbއiȑp2NW=jJO=0ipO0xXμJ8j)ZoV)ڼ[Mku@xϨ?2}hANy{ڨGZɦU¼bŠG@iӱ8/n 1 vE[B(>hg5#sC+HarLR`r7W]]dVG4qN9sP1Tӊ ;jTT%r.~14MX\&l T|~ KVgEdǿב#E"r upy?֩1=E v:V'_] pNd CTcj6pJPR;P,H)wҜGB}WFDP +3\sjg*:[wpm dxm([f|V=:KLaBFaEpoؑ[OqUjЪWh)n<#?9'tnFq@S7knׅ'P#x$sY w2DnJWjx6PQ~1+?kݢ[zkqեf{Z?/!SUVR#\bxZgFF|' ?+ԡKue* x#ڼT :cj6k?RwGEEMW?h =wR[NTfC" v dѭϗ7$¸hZ \C,ocQRi#j9GJ]`4{~u'ZҬ.!Rep>*+ (>½^ Cy|ΛQ8"xvmpD$X)qV}*'N@E9=R5쌌S⁅Kmr :גk#w7 $qW1kxUM2aŞIf5%FҠo[+&6SC׊ ߝASg54h?_Uٽ+=>cZG8;L Z&cV?JL;POK.Xd&?~}ӵ9$G:vå!#O# Yl3ߡ砩n~Sӥ1G^Z5(R2)zzQҗL`9))4`#Zf4U(ǙhF[*:q_@F:XsH״SjJPN>!i43Ŝ`7U-^~i.[_L)qZoÍO![ 0*l:ls'Ƌƽ;>MNFLC}ojZ, M")8>k:}6|4Q觅RqZ~(jlYV?A$;u(4nϕO^;ƒ6q8NN-iipZJe7L دhtM8~ᛓS\: Tt?*=~? ~ ,oBiwSߧJLx?Ji)))r8(>Mޜ֨@ǭ 9. UЗ5 <V5qG#E+ ?@TT/x EaЌ2+㜊>;F%JMo ׾ W6op4 2:^_MҖK^drj }=9IcrW#ep\(pASxfk6j ݤTe%3r4I˂;C|q w9Szӆp>_@47Xӓ[1$mcոq֗\Uc:0ǑG٢nz}jC 'D`pqQH1TfϽ;'cT)5a2n(b,)g銑[O JRrrx>!\`v LreǼim@ r`UZ_[=ǘvV0ɖ.pzg+uȩ{Vlz4`I6pa\qNc8h#n;ma^M2O-ZKD0dYUv6;{ןXYQk]Z5bh7O\,M9*G]ڻ4P+\Dk>nZYvWkk-@1sQN34[ExrjI]-cˑ=OzU]1çҪAe#rqOԚT9{/2m?NLl˟ZX7{ >TrN`sZec ;> nT"D`7IԌbcӽQ#ĥx)f8R{tq~[Zuq,X?3`'\ 5%Cj%}cwD~Hj (:O.OznG'1yE<Ҋ ۰F_'4oE=@1) ź܌jaM8H2B)V+}Hy*>F$pN:bJU`V({Ѵ1 9[&D;Ϛ]B&=ɵ$}>IPmcJLgxSҦ!Ҟ6?ofY{:Fs˛&!IFyWz-փNs5%HUQ$1ɡ!\Fr^Tw)+|@avXZQzN? 6:W <ԡJ94EBy the 2000 season, Ben had achieved a 385 Bench, a 390 Hang Clean, a 330 Power Clean, a 525 Parallel Squat, a 5.0 forty and a 32.5 Vertical Jump. He can dunk a basketball now at 280 pounds. Coach Hartman says,  Ben numbers aren t as great as some others but what sets him apart is his athleticism and flexibility. So he is a great athlete who has gotten continually stronger and better. <br>Ben was a 1999 All-American and a pre-season 2000 All-American. He has also been selected as a 2000 Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award Candidate. Ben states,  While growing up in Wayzata, playing for the University of Minnesota was always a dream for me. After my freshman year, I wasn t sure what to expect for the rest of my college career because of coaching changes. But, Coach Mason came in and changed the attitudes and expectations of Gopher football. I am very proud that I was part of transforming this program back into a winner. <br>Ben believes that hard work has gotten him where he is.  I ve used goal setting, says Ben.  Goals help you to stay focused. On a big day in the weight room or on the football field, I visualize being successful. I visualize beating the weight. I do the same in football by visualizing great execution. <br>The most inspirational person in Ben s life has been his father.  He has always been there for me, says Ben.  My father has been a good example. Ben s father was a former Minnesota Viking offensive lineman. He taught Ben well. Ben is the first offensive lineman to be named All-American since Outland Trophy winner Bobby Bell in 1962. <br>Ben red-shirted his first year and was a Scholar-Athlete winner. He started as a freshman in 1997 in all 12 games and was an All-Big Ten selection. The next year Ben was a pre-season honorable mention All-American. In addition to being a first team All-American last year, Ben was named the team s Paul Giel award winner, which honors the player who exhibits total unselfishness and most concern about the University of Minnesota. <br>One of the pre-season teams that Ben made was the Playboy All-American team. He turned them down.  My relationship with God is the most important thing in my life, explained Ben.  Turning down Playboy was hard because lineman don t get many honors. But I didn t want to give a mixed message. If you are a Christian, you should lead by example. <br>Ben leads by example in other areas. He doesn t smoke, chew or do drugs.  You can find that stuff, Ben says.  I ve just never wanted to try it. Ben carries a 3.2 GPA. He is never late to class. In fact, one of his traits is that he is always early. Ben has missed zero tests.<br> I don t miss things, says Ben.  You have to pay attention to time management. I have a day planner type of calendar. Besides, I really like my classes, especially math