JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?j+'k"oS'E] ^(v 6gc@sE|\kz>$U(% ׮:?N?;tV<~,z@ήA/rU?֨W.LY*A ;#PEQEQEQEQEQEQEQEZ}>" s`kе*4;I\%62A9-'hvΰEwNxlO-ż0@\ܱ+&gq#ל]Im,S9Yc?+0 s׺6Xx M:qcr}&>&?̔DS1Z-%B1=k~Mhg4ekTOlQ:Cu|d"ǝ\|$F%N0ANf/a(LǞ|Wk $ZRSjl* h^3QҌ;OZkrDy8=/kҘXdᬀO ; CWG$J1$h6>wX Ac1|gҨ$[-j$ݝѢuO@r8me`|8ac™7Db0o]Gyk#OHIgLҚ;* K-c$O֧r][[= (2W \,7 ;; 7r+Gq=X$D$^@?`2 |3sXΥfkmW|CJ :c=ǰkڦ6e> y VֳbfT.%:e/ nH?a~_N(7 gYR)G0kWƂGz ޻EfDnZ((j6t^ezMpJ宕 $k[&}$Ʃw+[ZO$~ +UBۖmʀ(^P;zU=1WL 6դGxЎ޵*&G41BL$n `z+OM]/œBb'y3jI+OckrG4U((([ҞEŹ0W\ Fv0WX`]m[­.mQ:јLJd(fc>dR]{nHF!ޣRd;^6U4M^ Va cYSSnkM+xb wS5.R,`FEg=ΩE"cl=.mB[ҙ2vqm;IfaO[kiAʪ䷵ym߇5E װuy ibN$S,⚻4 6~q#/ӁAӴ?,K7MoWQ%VVGcaķDp}ڥcJ"K b O!rk^Q$rrY$v4;of鸞~I709a\snoS%4w {U7M{a~PڗN^gK)9} ?ʷ+ztKQEnfQEQEQEQEQEbk~MDf_ dޢieoDq43 }A zgkrj6)@e@Z6UJƥ%-Q*86xex<[k }+qfuR H ՐYIZCIk?^k_%/a3)X!'iLϵs"nړRȗRjr1w8᳏Ưj6i,Ez613[s,y?Z-qk8a#U.}o$Շ;(32qJT6n23zgT.`3&o* PSV$6?u{m3GZ2DH㊩VRܨu_aI-IgwjͼqZ!,rX$M&ߒD5Kћc'T^Rf. ^Gok)ajHaӚ?7V1jv\Dj|ȇoj|;Q|@3PFH3x{Vz MJ9핯YNgI7bwg}~0Oq&_[+͏F[5b(EPEPEPEPEPEPH~饤:'KXK&Yi$$g'ttʧUOh-¯c3.0d!.i ziٝ^#"INo:L|$1wkI_H 1&%'t7<*}>KKSpǨ5B`5]OaXT/lÚ XAHGDds]>]L$iHx4ctrץ ۱L$ݻZ=a/N$%^in}Б?YIX%)q@ ]Hk'7[i1_i >xnֶ+ox7kbx %^OJ+.t3Ʋ!R2MX)QEQEQEQEQEQE"F +WӤ/dnO?wǍeB#**AM My|G_(zUMHL*Q{<7q`s!!{\?b/G9Eq/S2SGA5L̺Z]~?m],$@~hF8^is3wj S}O^[?ZLsdi1Evw9*IuQVfQEQEQEQEQEQEQLE ;Q7Fq+eF7=[sjF ԓ\W5]G߆ukvk6{y9DT&@Z]Cy*؃'ڷu kDKԡAqE+(r@ j7ЉK-|G9`Vĺ|R$;;t`OC.U-z7<-$} $%'\;sҾeԮŰ2"p0Yd>ʹ?Gysr1ciV-ᔳ0봅ǯ$V#ZKڲOSL*2r;㧽e*i摫(ǔ:gӼ#[\ V,rI? ޭLŠ((((((((((( ]V:mտ"O2;~+.@ *m?8V\Jɍ^Ac;jK_=we]jZ)PjvQt)\#AWY:-*fe(|g$`nŢ)QEQEQEQEQEQEQEQEQEQEyVM3\([((((١B9涴\/d5gI-Kh2O=Os1xEu RRN\-%^hE ҕBx.,{ Gls8,)G~u`VV_o5FpO|}*ZfRZjJ=F0:flȳ n2}s=is energetically assisted by Jeff Trochil who says,  Ben and Karon showed up every day. They made the most of every set and every rep. They will be successful. <br>Ben 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 exect 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 he 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