JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?bXnrA!zSbY(aWDw/1X$ W>-N{o*Uc]"G\gk柧"ц۩8ܒI9ܸ?Q[(gwv 3U'\Tw "(g'5p0( EAz@Oj c(oms{;C\L2J:+o^XD䯽Uo i +;#0v0YOuϭe^l$eb0u~&'-;vc8N<)M'U Fx_A^YP#[jE\Y҄;':~-276I%eT-6UJym'a41m&;2"E;c-^4iIT) W"B1 8^I\p8sl_I+]FӼpYv1 HHN BSz\kl<ԯA (ZEgi$ \Uu8Mͱь~hMɻ5EXv-ښ qP%E$T97qY|}+j"99Q׎:0Ræ9JlϾ@4;ޚ[̝pOj噰:VKs(KU,-SSwRRe,jbKv u Ih=+ cՒSVf"M5eeU[,~߉u(7F]mOJԋ$RH^=UrZeJNz[A:ه+ba; Rk0VOiJ0,w#:4.s0q,+Ϩ>^:{ROu+~hPLVHCi%,FIe'Xg˜t.V]хgguwsCor%RW{eB\` tTA$G d]eH&Ɖ|Zo!&D DPx 3,4R.JtT?){DF3Pke]izvwb2&{IV U8ַM\i'l w$UBH25р~݃j7vڇ^7Pp0M 13k z g!Q݀ g-[ `SsZSZqbkFSm2zɥn,]Eo[͉!~C nF;VLIc  pk>=ht4npKlY$Eo58ψQ%PcM_sZvN2X[4 @`85X6bI#{a6c@e*1W\X<Qn7%so7%ufE8O`A=<%p-|OjO#vl=~_ӵ2>xXkh %9[{ל׮ m#L<"J5ZWIh:R\+EHn`R}8kQ]BQ5ZG, 2k6 +MSwE:hԯXn;s Yg:UUeEI9ϵY> w3ʹ/UU?O\ƣ?nCEsϩVݵ#O~fC*{yM 8f}BD2zqT4͍9.$Kc]DL=*E:9t`ǀ?6Ŷ  :#^H嗡s޸VB dB?=)pA$ {Š,Y=A0$T1&hxip=W@c~du1Ȯ=s_M\-1L)@[F9s\<'ig}Eo{qJphFz-E$CH]RMWI,vCޠi<9I|}EbxcF3{=\d S4+tusK>QOR Z4pcpOt5_9c- n 3J8 "=ir#!o# =IrHt<q#}䔒qZ뮑D 2KZ rJʍs2-S\K:Iqq4l#t*ԂI[SkJks#J< [+,fMr=۹85\s֍q\FNQyf)6TQ"$gn[j3څPrW`$cB,jl~BKY3 ᳌V&5T[puDC)#X <71Aw#xSDq@xjךMa z2'ptNU@(WIm@q }E'ՉW6 @N0Mf#MץXby3cjڊZ 6`E;;4s +'cQZFĂ0A9aqVg弳ޔB]vMHi1Uqa?m5<@thZ4`>)d+=ki[a[AUtu,LWwFAMeX$hRCkK *A$Lg=kJu]:mjvf$SӘGSVS?!\L(pi|y|\yOWD^4+jW @)T\IϭT_ʕܴj9R+R(OQQ@N(>E#]8.~ᾉEm2IRI?J>啕6ohֱ42Չ戒gG4@?]By the 2000 season, Ben had achieved a 385 Bench, a 390 Hang Clan, 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 i 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 o 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.  Yo