JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?&}t95bpAzYZW3Uq޶qQZ7_AɦOl6=P8q$DŽ#Rm5nZL`H> 1F, xIw=n<iIFPZp_?A>?JWQɧ7$;vyai|gڡ^civX'ֵEYghE,:qRݚsFZ#n!tc$d)#WCT)*}Mjc+ƹs@ =zHK z{\s/'ڢ[mn9_0/Co%'۫v?bz=Vž}2+Eˮb9u {|=/TpҢ>) pϿo14-IWGI/?ޢ~U{F/bj VULJN)MJώG45 nCEJ-V6Ӥ6a¬^ S~os5ieG{1;O›%u5{(ôǛ۠YʳO̙Z=9km+xF5]z8fF>NG*V̮e'gc!`q{\R 'h7fVv%He9)chz>˓ҦƊHWo"sҮ1;=؝HwSG\Ò PlZ'2a9`Q>%9bOhiP:fgVڹ"]}ÞA+2WxQ@矔ƛDY eUgQ#ֲmlT5ѕτ"^qֱ/jIEzK_p#?d߽"ܙ N7\VP q(XEb]ȤxFk 0ۏe'?3韼:95FQ W1u?s= lAޭXj{d$eN*h`)J0ԍB:Tovd{Tn49{K+ n+> xwo0R2ۜ Y٦ ݉#k ὅ-mH¼D 39jPiN䜄UOzRbu)tuW&]F.1Gi:V&b8PI:Ko[!mB<蒜v;0$N4nSTZ[kyWhy>t`s] t8=a唸s+UI$dzVlumdt>"[rmcU-6X1P[@5>`{u-VbpX;Wsb mt &EXhU Xn#tK\gfs֢JV<>ʗd*̊qNbqֽDٝ-R`0Vf+qI'52 ޖEAsjQا'#%ʰJ j(֝ݗ' p1jHN䖅}J]΅6\u͘ =ȭM.5PކRu3xErr8Zf=8MrR@YaVmdೀ>%NGY}4\yޞ|Eihvne {~/0Y~'TF^k;-~zLTFW4o7թ[c77dBUKksV;>9$NWܥM[Ĕr@jAylAk[#֋r;DkYsAN0_鋨FXcW/\k]muv{8~LGd6xJݻ|*svE]GK7[$v-ZPX]'W{-"rWYJ]84j){ry=jRݝs Wf4Ρg>cI<ԛJ)=M'޵\1ɤU>kzUh,(4d`Hz!&~T]aԠDSD>mpz!̂'[ (Ӯ]^ "t۳"WGis!Y%X_<`okۇ9!yH<(2Lk{M[? 4с > ^OE4Q]?T+GcR+B; x tnR EYiCCKWeqB?4؇Ĕ$"Dr$kDWk6n9q3\C1NV ɔu90r gkpߝYfp ''ٟ3V`Kip4ᔗ 1'RqIK:PJCv@!AGyJ)PNGYj}C*i8)Ǚng%kmA4EI&ծQݦeR.Gz )z@\P{0t4ppb_44ҸX{ѰKR zI r`҉Xև$ZsIQSH{YXd^aScGRl? ?M=|,e$V.NJuSDžX/kC-(fv)5wƤOXB~+q{`QWpt ǒ)X/GAGႹ8 lr⻁/H*vk˰8Mߤ;bMw!_ʔی ~To!'vnA~ ^Iܜ. d x"r#GХ[gFOXki a4tTG)ZP%GrN~pdw*Mc:js K, :Rﵻ+薖\J׿%xW;o$Z{ݨ,Oݢ_Sq@֜j0>R'=qXM1rԣ4Ǧqj rsB&$7'N Ͻ1Xx߿m8uQ1Z\hy`8ڣf#8R}=\ćGjnd1M2q:4h Aɓ)rA2;P/MRyȇ#=Ǯ x;Ф$7#*g9brzԠ^EP"q8>0"OQ@p9ݛOE_13}i#EN?QHery 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 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 mi