JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?)OJolT=+" p(z r߽ @I #fCܩW(| b5n-9u+y。δb\wi 'f`=Ojw:nZqr=+Ե]TJ 랴jpM+olw<nך}jl3R}dfuY8WT$8#FMݔ&8obnᇑ| -N3Y]+uvzSW%3ߺE&o l)$E]>obh(E8 P0yiB`d112|#Y'6t|i8l-qTl"M8sV/Vcy ) )"G7=H3KA$b#=fh:|2MyOىJFCJePv<Շ9`;iq^hE2@nNYfsU`@~Q֤[0`J.c=p>:+{FCjl 2Ik}Y${a[jٛJH-U"%Uo?j)=y.w>ksEUS qY֟)=A@!R b*X_QW+:QgVA]h\YO8ϥ\Wr[ <:TbKF+!̌!j[^vP385OkBS;V]ӬKkd( Үs*I@qs jS$)\C(Ս7LzTsMDc`Ig%̀#Orz ƾ9 p:}(I~Ʌ2Gޡ綰̖L6>DU/5UlU"PjzJ!M4d&յn9: (gu wV한0q*Fvc5!dS?O}Kdv  pj\pO"4wq < ;#@d#6I7Mo2+;W֯Pf`Yj/g2@Mկ9VkHP`*ЛڕU'V,(ēV-5"Lj.1tU\5Z 9ok끻a>hed>lWUԥ#9e#b5cKkVqx?ƣR, 2G9XEӦnB1J[AmX!GB-ӢSf­+06c6Jf[. :.=*^&IpG8n^t a<d-$kG44B]͌*vmQ{@2w8iF`1C iNVgUGweXq5i#9elQ@)F;HU VJY'A*H8OORhU0G:T?'8y쾿iS޺o 8^[Ƀhf-+JE4qa$gsO :%$ѿe**~ )9}kTI 9R]ɅZZȖV!@!9X(Q1NqğjI!Js,W ~V#PAuaY8dS7\ۧH uSޘ3["E/NPpj-Uv2:\=ږ)>̟,O8IvjC'{e\]fR8SɮVVYYGE!1J+w5`L?K[AޤS\U r uג Dp@wI]pCmvzԶeT v"1ˑzU{eKbDq}M{?Bmڠd=r1EQӖCH'9ʳ:yZsl p+ RG| ߥK( QP]isl::ԭ5GΉ}2]6V6׫/QC=#r,6 C5.:g)Ti^yG |^J[yYpWWt__]L#~Tȩi[: &bVq4fo<19gǁp=&XbmJjX*oжaAI& Im} iCZGKQ#m/eGWBN6<׊xgЋ]Br5 dƋ\/\f#EH(LeB0c= dMiwWV؝Z />r-e.J'+o®Fl/AM+&o7'yL6I^?:ƵXɉۺc>F ˗{vUrGcxRK]8 @qڝLt,O$/UGN]kOO&p-R|s*OI6L硨7N~{I/̀hZp0-ޙ$MHۅx5'=q*' k6_vg7+t Ѷ5l@1Q״uaw8\ۻǥ\LF7&Ƒڶ%̒.ablv5k:g귳@]AnJ ]L`7k= ̫=Ok oX[i2[>Zy4ymf2Xfn߆)|tNm-)yK1@n[Zۥ$dzVgl|W`G nq #4-cpzCIg0r^gj^7Ѵ0gVc5NdtvEyxi'"_1𢯕sΫ, # y0k6-MXSʘJzݫQ j2"U=;I+\vnGv&_*;p, ZX躝,97qss(JGN} KaYX|woruYQA{ֶGA™#\a_l+8nFOs5c59gI$+^Dk/̯v&:FcWvMBen 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 gotte 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