JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?n*rØ,G :;-*Yl 0a9y"=HHobQ67S_lOt5;zWai1lf8ivwN% p=(g@J mU2BF;}k{l1aЭ:(f. iA2L #۱QzS_HB9Yآ ӧZtހ*6vIlFrj3#|Xϯgڤ^}4 t4O3Osck ڭGKmK@6d ת~γu,@wr_Bc[SCspOEQR#[ s{z"ʨK12Mz5j1K{2BYA-4Zp8Uf=(X_Mrc; +w][ ] UL$3Ԋ}R.pSXFCS؃+dؤjP3%F?JuVRH# 6 ~fg-eDhNrAV ²%-s] a:tFA8iX@Iu*$Goy܋pPEt:͸n"YՊ~l| UvO)==>-"˵v*y>֙;R'ҮȤ7''LzM=~5TU@ χ['5k}OȄz\9^ ueF9<ڊ¥:NQW^k*?eBjoTc,`3M,mP: Cb@prn\VNbPݹqXpug1i>30^;90JfP"D m(lӞPz{$gЊ-L^-c0֬<(b:zitڇBxk^K[aяGZ}B.L5 OA-!A%Ipv$ID֤FHԴiLi v+(8^i#WδPL=)0;.mS4p kt zY!yJ4mo)'0f{K!wƺ}f$Ayopq,_ڽG?%93o[x:cko} YsU)0\ېH gz=Y`q8#Y!nƟ:Y^3j6@̏BSAqԞfnu# *}Mq A6~`=2k16(gH&C}k^Qk29|ISցCwn ׈*m%0r#gG(hsN UsXW>`(\ajpuAʠ{MѮ@xzV/BO_dQ_Gq8vb['qc,$J}*LI_9XhsLSyە ꢩiwm#q:ߴJyǭej7216 P0IqG?Q4O77 6ⰧFS[Z{4Fe?1j[pǻ^0x.9!3L ۜzh,!1N+ͭP#z.Ce+c0Kk;`T!0خr[XܼP;@>`2-\Z7f0yF@{!Du\ww` LG%L4eq\R`]'X@s0# [;@1S;K@0s|̰yXO2Af@8[,؞ V3¹mZh0Vini-_hcW9ҊnE1eHʳ85 WcHv'>FBN ֚Z[U+"#zi`;mCۃY<l c:'#٢77#Z^8)a@?SX[?: "gyIFs޺0WhZ}S;p[W)[$'ބ8s/ڌA c4pHڹ wPyVcuVqB/qqy@"L cvY_9=zSV zqY z iwH?QLruL{e+@\L }NG_%.y {TQ2y^^Ij(%Ն`vE0q$Tз QGc墁l=O={cS1j'P!`ʏ9n{ڸ:PvXj{H1D`3M3Zu61me<بDX@H(w8xny=Za1G"5{So7i9xW˵0=.:ޣIF12ѯ?T)wI$R>pz=I?&cr zq|+rCz60}E8D;S3(%r3 \|g4:\D#E,039'2R)V&}{T QۚXSjsj GI3d˂*A͜UBzTWj`IG4, r~!yO$9瓚mZo!.\9ȮS]}#SZ4$C-eCzSm&),(em~/n5{k$a6G\? Ku%ܜB^5wM<>u5nxT'c t4 ,%@֡63@RI9UliH TlBen 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