JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?ۻ!W5DGq4mQK1L)h.) W0P$liNUIs.zWC"`bds!rܴzM;1)&(i sRG "Fr98LyVEo1'kCTg_ Zb9zp+HlP\_KOSV67?vU]RrLƇ4bяew8b3s׊7"J[%>M'M %ef)q޻?[ؼӕ\NOu#5ڲUB|8sGYs>&4Ws+W]v1}NX:{x%(drGqҹnA|ʖ;)"".%)je_}vyƀ }V ïF9<v"[ Nҏ4z?4 Pҏ% 䱮@+W1CG)6vlv>I's].9.mhlgW$碨MtiZ0ӴG).}'%ksG躔!{)>P)(]UΓ(feO,j$̪e;*܃4FiRMi|U'54"gh,@nidM& rO'.'MAQOvgUp._֗/P4m>LnXA* җa@ԛ-IQ2<^߄_겛[00?{"`Szo?ڽ֙%afj͖ge–8U}}>}VI&拾j.5>50[I$mw\t$Vwm@p~vMMs,sXo¥ҵ)gNIYwV\z8Hirv'\fYK<;{Wk:܄Y^ "^gxN@ho!;@2=Ad1ە1Q*O2ԛ\# =H.4HjRkb5}z >)\+$lL|Zkם.?ݭ OvrDY;9?{Q]ǖX97x'4[%ux۲rk9mhz-ƿgl1Q^#YӬ]@EGީ^6l$d'}MaR$OSXVXwᰒR樋|\!c⛋soTWbI;G?Jb=EWڰގغJ]7hԶڄS67t>8\FzgEa ż=]<&'$쑵\+H^;/$b[kJn'wqꍞ OfpqyͶrVVQ3,e^af㎧5 !dr=k2RV(UN\ĦɬI[9T7IC+≠XT`W;<\uT[}ngLJiRV4 ]km>[-a 0q_@y2ƣf;[KreN9>57k0 \m3Н*ji3 E?RӒ=Jv('7s8.Xyw +G8{ 8_&7; OA]BJg +#<j;Yp9^\xJR䉾yn-g`zId1`; ȞI8S7̜4WeU+& `Js?tZ69gK[̉=?]ң\C(tǭtWv8+}F'4dzw>{%ޠvSjD:/&nThUmFӯE />ǽYU*x>t{YaߒvL֤ukkMs3ד~vŸL=߈?oRK8J*i4xx4e(-7B}*?`2rfe=^cF[X7ֲ-Dvײ[ҔWi<9J=hԐ,*?Zə`FMgx/ |=%F9wfǩaR .2sZIjcEp/ E"h( FW;](M#+F7<0'֮x>  fxJaEԄַc rQU:Q@QêW2F Hޣq=' [&T8e9WxGw(O*!pF93ZiַY>[y/({ *:ּN}2$e6 dvƚWZ ʀ1ҜJ{G66V=EhZĺ&*r8j=_zV|u&=OkѬEb'5qnnnM@8&;"J⹖/$H!b7g$`MgX Vd{rI.B٩Vs 2@m6d`0Au%'XGrȑiNNΦ/~#vgcomepH w/%ԆF*ANsžq30z!̿ca'MzDoktMa_;0x=RЩ([ERzȧ|7^cOyN);8R*3֤HGCeT>P{⧓hqޕX)s09Q6I,!@*3񢋁|F$F `W0UfIyoao>y LdZ ΍9ۍ L Rjz3*p@)$z7YU9#T{98F;ѠCĖ>[qlmp~^+A4s>r3[8aC3?N}4f_BI N>Q^8S @ed k~tdE y=+ѮLFTDDƷI^H֜i7V^HZmVĈpȣ8aYpc‚xk4;w%W}ˀ:9 Nq5S֘#:o9N {Ts$8ǎ"c 5XBh򊉮 A<)I\:*Yo7')s ically assisted by Jeff Trochil who says,  Ben and Karon showed up every day. They made the most of every set and every rep. They will be successful. <br>Ben was 6-4 and only 220 pounds at Wayzata High School in Minnesota. He had a 400 parallel squat and ran a 5.4 forty. He was a USA Today Honorable Mention All-America and an All-State selection. Ben also lettered in tennis and was an honor roll student. However, the University of Minnesota was his only big-time college offer. Says Ben,  I was optimistic, but I knew I had to work hard to become bigger, faster and stronger. <br>By 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