JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?맒+)'ۓQjnU89}+Dd|F:YAyb[<ξ(owHF4?^¬xiH 7d]VXӀ1Ч Ѓc@' 3+'eU;Uprs?t+:uҪ%pWU95uq$qHGcQT+<\,3mKu ?Jf)ɑ +bEEj"TLTUk+Z/R  ZD_51TJj~)aEQHcq$VێI8VPW;% j3L֬7m>VYt\?g ;zj"/-=~y:a.VH\یPKk ww52ŌAZUN0Z,;AY=Z ~nQZOB;ֳrj\v9KKU H?қš"+zg^kd~m\Û|VcUW*V}jQYۥ;-DuR՛;{~*^ЏŠrVJv.OhcaE (&ǙVzgN)S\8>NoR <{ ۜbxWXoZ=#–_+{7{%va8T}:Q`9 =]M.1GnXL$P͞A]g 84} l"?A !|p9:W˼' ^H q4{G1✲I<_5l8jK:U&:vl9`B->2D>-Q\wɨZ4֧f#esxWl[Gw'Qi_7ZH$ժ2{TͩF^깷6:^6 dl1%@sɏֽvVK#a F/kvDC,PҷQrud>,Sʠg?3Z5^ȸh¨ h~}lQbprG^ f'!ȣIZSV%U MOWtqG,?lPEqYzn!$(mp%TWcu&OEN[˗rZTSrIsc`譵Jy_Im,sZsڀ0  N=kU"{MjIb2Tڰ/<#[4C5Mv]H%I+*"?# $2l/%:PЈ=3X/oHV] p;V֟MON6CNƻϽ\]1Tg$g}ZC1G4e ~fʀI+xǨa֡լKhk7+4x>Cw#5ZYg_7ݨŝOʓj&yK@njM:fσ\|S3O3q裧@~ђ\H5Ē`[smyhBrp02kԵ$m:˜),GHrx;خ3pp Džr Au9HN\`UBFլ ,Nұ.bUDci#5t4*Qdηw&[ zӿ,K|lQiqCm}ť w& 884z#sue/&-8*fXshZveR9uv(X/je|yM+RRvojb]wsQ_>p0MSg,€9ŦM4gxUYd`Ts0<9y]oU~nvN-F7$"p^#5 I34ac`6Gs8yRgOX13)l!_~1^\{+KFnr `rNVsQѳjrG)K;*ݶFqYT[ʭ~>%^k)$DFF-zV*4@D Q U4t"vvzvvNY {Ҩ* kBXI*زl!zsiJoPÑi w@[Gɛg*O4hp[cU6anMKi-:}.OX(HMPnwqN̐(Uֹvf4G1Zs^"PRrsR{`Y4 m $?W,F6m'Dp|&]KM [iAtLV6Vq).".C=uK{kn|ye]TeJ?-h՛w:8L - \;qEfxv;heۨjB⍩՜#iz0Ĺپj.v!CWQTBŴLp"dvCWMnKt` Rn9ʥ昐=NP2iZ5X1R۴ $vcEb[Y9r>*m#o;QE'u2|_m>K((,,nG϶" +}qGE2ʗZjyYeY㧥miݼJGQE6*c7} tV]K$TmAQSmYvF^(.aЈCk>N7/$n Ee=$\\Kʸ-4xTȩ14QJ0#Vaw5n\/;X4Q[-rDNBy 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 and my major.