JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?c‚sQ {v2AžAXz)vNJ8bӬPM ~{5gȭ 6 }@Zq۴Z\*cQYE[Ԍ%AJҦ ()s[ -p{Vߩ',Y+|'oBw Whv/$r8'#.Z&h, Ax5B֓)6a7,"ڠ*w ʳe2Cgi޺N*JVEu3ΝhFM¡}2?Z~P1ژP`L%/1PbwJd>ab}NQg+e<f:[iIJRxrW$=xa"F-pEzF֓R%P8s-DY#m{y|>O5t-8@_X[vIj2voLVUHlHu%pzxsc-%nm>zB[j; dX{8E\(,q[+1 5bڻ_t륓Ii#}Yσ0{U&)yg/lUc󑒸VŵJʎL~l8=9B:bNzgHjոXT$e*qg+F:; AL%,(@⦹dwճ%\$5qrsQZ'-jHEӖssUvzURyR9 =g` FkI9cd~z(?z1ܻ{=}KQ!ڤ7ު\B_Ё)7$`2qQ0+qNN gqkC¶p$<*+ƒխ3Ķ60sfbw'h^Ҫ [Kx0dpXSDwn7@VmȸyeI )-sSkdA7AqU4_vךB^92ҵ l2|<WG`w=F[4F?fk9:TT׈tќgfA(ԧ4iQ#2r8%tTtep#t=>ai`ddT#fj^>Ҭo;]J6"~fvg#Y7tUWR}SQ!m8cmmls3==kbPkg<+v3[pj}{5y/"FUta{rfPGֳdIdg3NsA~4qRwjURA 1JwbNI'$i;c-FK92Nt hf]WibIzQRx>Nk7IQ6 ⛫c'): j[g#)I6+ 5c?ֻ,7X{khAKjGM|m e*y{kD-(a^ؠw$ _wK-+no" #Ҵ6b<ϥ(LSe<#bMdv9zWO29jǬE$NK׎zU{%Y'*\ .{H/YE p~iWT;"FA,f#mtZ*ILJ+ck"'9"$ai S&5o&-bh(Q`V5)FkH$fE04As5x;R&+K7ENk^jl.u;29EE8'>+DQ@*,4HEMye\ޑc= wxe]} 2Z;?±[wGU+$wB8'ZӗK6$C!nkhA<1mkRKC>r.2BIHҢ+`21UG#gxMoMoIs6;3WBoYx%?_K6u}k|c}PE>Lv_84쉻0bQ `,1S- (猓Ջmp| 펀yvyasB`ZuƭI #|Fyl{Wp oBG"R[F)*>Oy$wqK^_%j0!bq>_DԡʯyNI<]iI“ҟ,/ vub3EWCalM1X(J9CM)m,!x? -ER; ݲ}he᯴=$tp)vi +cjjڦъ|hO+Q0icA^3HOHiwpI0ugO#I%#'!xHv\`4Qoƫ 1)l;u~u<1G!'vrB_k\OJ5M6{[rg #o0HF8ϭBYߣjw8b!2;pԮf ޤo]>ũK{t;E8HPp:5>"T@\Mi]%H(D}t~#g3›vW%&ݑ,3OxJZ 25q@1_a>ԐZccNimt4MꦢH=';m5+toYl;X|co)s|bH&p{l[xL5̱[:<7j 6"Ҥլ$I/-IAĩqhwJ=o4qq5օ^r$8Pӵ ;OT7 d<&;Frwiq{X>%NF-6b34=ZE nl` ֢FF6F> e6Р&sǐ^0; bElN>DvF <}}LXp2:TI~Fg[;U 7By'HY@ڠfg Ă#c dq֬CfbGM ۜ'uR%'9Ⓧ5Qv9ipiJ!IAm=T[m*l dKnO!v0E.4mduP{ tPTQ2qfV4Ofu\oZ4{hDm򓟘5VEBlIQ+V,!Y@sUfӲ6Ӌ\ͱ֬l/-gv{ *š yrIkFH[B$fiH㢃V7qN96+$J©6S]8eux:#+-#t@? ||+u#$'\WLa%M}iEY'e<)XN+p=+Ⱦi6:F_^ deHf?2sO$U$c?A>mi?7 ܟ•f/U``LI Qc 븓J[!28RWcImr0KȏLӬbpv< c^~>׌qV do43;\ӵΨ'MjO'j,>aKLR58sJr[UkfrBtpg9'moD~I0 5_%ar]n\h%d~D2ƀN`SfʍwG\9柪EȶuaB`$Y0<9-ֵͯXlb1HֻV# !nۂ1pOpŔA[$H'+H$*v`'nXw 0GZ\E6ʹ|sf4n}sVQϭfZ l5`K'w4|)gHJ9fbI)=s.~mn]c“:qWvvGۨ5cl!=FG_Yi iS'M=GԕǢZ)O`K&[IeS!*F ujE^m1>*(&JVeйfE`\[XX<(vܕF/i&tѴK8'8Ѹt{)O 6?.(eZṁ*H1R\|K y4??ʊ+$yͷqHvir,UG5MJ; y8Ǡi$׵)m9.drf%Ϡϥo[Ϧ[HQ菚Ź`(ND]hfM6#| HRE*Qw:-9V$6;zVX`(l4j4Oc_P]$VR:@ O'$(ScnȓK*+P1bGEJ 1&IvOėaUB&9i6E2(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 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. Ben will graduate in Civil Engineering and, after whatever happens in pro football, wants to manage construction projects. <br>Karon did not lift w