JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ? `Ocn`{án$>$,ao#Ls-3:}ۭoϸulx#i4WVI'ؑ^}I5ڐԪr5-" H+[jjt ڬd*AVbAL'שm (T^V+tYbe=Me{yrx?J8'޳+gP$@ԟsG@{Y5IM%O9luϰɫ~*wsj$8sV :*Zt%ꒃe1>\vW!h: 9U|q9ɗK줂AJou:3\I;2O"=KIEY6?-> McM7Q8œ*+5R@s隌^ʝpEJd89;z{L?UdGo3@?[x˕875Վ)!{3$x72A}ff}bQ8)JFh쎧ÚEt=-}qY^.ׅpݙa9~]z~)$pH,$qM/sB%^AkqYjzQP pC+ jlPfD вò]C+Yzs:#3 ;jفxSh,7^84׭w1(uldq2:ii@LH]"Q m^zlPqѰqRrխ"i_>ئEb@ÐvO-*Ǜt!fC;[H)ڥRm]mझ1pKr~ꄌ`נ66EԠV8dQ{~5܊G2:tL' 3Ywsr9 o6&ov`umot|THQ8IY}]?s$10ܧ=jَ2 7k_NcVdE<ʹ=_qX9I\J᪹GD=sˡ>ةxDV%%@HBjƼ\'Bvz̊}# #U'us)+3ocf]B91X6j"cBPLO]3P y"`wj [׸F9ֆ$Rͭoxrzy92pX4HE묪!X_ҙ4je#f@=69ڭgM3$ n+GR*{d3\Gq3Vn8si-嶐AJt7 `1*lR Es7fz4QϽÃbmyrSV6x|Gn\C#L$g"W;gl6ҷjm4U7ݎ)$I#:uDs2+ow0i/,*ֳkA%I~B+Yv,j03ڢ)CYsHpwdR\gslZ,mgl^rS'y?myaK!;٫̀^./te-H,cކ%46a=GNN wFr7 RN$6*3_X'IֲWND8~s>أjG,䞟JnMsܤ}JK`ќ#Ǒ#R]ԓ[5s] }wQxY)9 @aסv-wGR9 |Eru[{~%*8v;qjDg5N擷)?_iKⳊ \sk'Nyg Х5 ; 6m>;㉱h.*9ʻ%xH'9>¢Xc h@1\5)n-#poIWe+$x8a'88nc;mo%S1ⵎnƣ*SC*ںB" |܏—L Jsӯu(v RF`X~WǯQRe_C <ei!`5Un޿Jj;108iZ >S[[;1ʮ~kQduAՈK]i<#FPNߥfX`xg+#p[Wk5LaPJ( :xF]$ 5:y֮cTԎxwZ]>[?)mJ]Ęť}i^ M x~ZZ6 +F@ d]FuC(j踻; X݊IZL">k}+<+Ӽ5kֱHjχ.<3\]uqсJY7wtw:/mwUA8(NAǯj5.VDgr'{d޹9-ċ@MAdXM6.IkkH dJ-*;M;7S%,{T\K`"JU@;hkBo|01G`+/S-FH[Q9nO ՜ *rzY8<`6k*x9S[֑FN0}zo`Z3%ԥ0'=;t8*cQ8Sb)A@@o)N:&b[arT@@٩MvA :{#OW:b,Ƙ@'h?{n1 -Tqv3H NA^\=rI╘w5 +,pJ sQі:P52͐3֨3HzqPbs,GR?:d[ܡYlUk[T3WWi(p@lvv /.4 ,uZ"z*S}mm{w1'9^9Ha6Fʥy=Rg#l1?Cm$Ě{q:`n⟼n;ztLDVP,bfwP*qm&x?$]ýTEKn} m J^DpApGR[)d2 i ڦ 1ԁGҁXEbZp1, ],#1VD 2dj'(WGz~unYezdC:!@l}+YV<)JATWg<8;$8Ȥ ~57iB{TDbBXէ;&mNnj iǽ!#)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 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 m