JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?)F:RllTb׊C|*ENjTRO8:'4vtFaݒyv( ~ָ1XR3|ҘG:V.3Z9;\Q,DZEy"Em 2nQ"ڧ)TRx5'2ŷ*h:>]׌Em 3EFIt#hOq/MUqpzbby|E&I pA2ϵrZR_~v;D7+X" mQZkXda(ï4?)R)GF# ?:h8<cQ`)3)vVa/6TghɢNɲ๤emF}a$2XB)W;єU!{BWy_qWX\ֈqȩ0pyB)ItJp:֗woQGZNytTzQHdax4hVlwbgB_Pޤ|67\؆ `P'df0g޲Ts/O@{fʟ&LV}UBXzLe5eҩȿ.\j!FϞLg>+ )fc2iATA*EOBL)nqU?ήP QP0ՙ?ʫ+єc4/4}@gaM R'𦑎hLM8iVC 4}c9nsIh$ִ\*:u w%2*ZYe\,*’ r}B+fu0?k;wq*f8?ηRM]?y\stdŚtǷvzScmsn렵fݴc`S8pVܤ8xNQj4Ð3PHvTw:Tr(-LD43\Tdtf9óaGa?:aL Zr;T(:52tn/P*g\/K݊I݌{Vv9+Y\tk'"ӟ-IpV4Py镖v"H*Sמj{78隭 ?1܌:G-|KɉtwW`sjh#5zc__\;KiVUIHȫ:I^Jbatz^ΰHZw jݤmUj\ 6F=ƾ z&$ÐucJTjM}3]MliT}YnM5qXc *'AMܨGHo+TXR1X~AX[ WL RIF R\^G SɨDLF"51+X) ى2}MtiOAs I˂5%葮:D!z\wɃSUBGN)y=rO #.޼bp;A:ȧ tַs ڹSӊ 5]ntPΊV8NAVq/8"lHpVz毒3xDJwQ"TNz+vϥv0鶰* |—-ށst|`xtA2J>r+{{xU/N%w*Rհ|U" -2NL)@d9;U p;*u#a nR!6.ӌf\{UVr՛Y!51lcO5nWU)bzt&[8tKAⱴxqEoʁ rbez8~Q4Php] ZW<cw:VԫypH-ې fE ޥ145]ExIԭ{HmQoY9H7pW9'Xz򐇧[QʕA^޵˸R8β$SCG&OyO[jpbre$bIK|ة@ܵvB:cs8 FRԉ= 6HNU ƦU{]4uÿ eicLV^~#=F3EIv~1j:.8(DN1=z~01Z | LҞ#i1T Tn;@aM\rRwkUKRGzH5u*ZH:0zF[d,MX.GNFM)C 89ݬΫ-^x攤QcVg|3ִ@l2뎦KENsvA72pWE#$IWQ2'5^62C֫T5ddYV1Wgvz5h;j)+jr|͍ p$(P֎uFp)P)1L ҹLveUA6! 5\R2OR$'95ԚL UɩL\gS㋐huCj)=EN# r$`vJb8\w8'"+'+N;SR#zFT{Q]TC<1hz}i4zi:8N=j&ƤL)TiOn R7Q J@)8 'i}iZ|9~4H>ZWqɪ*̽G >MFl4`CҢIŒ*pZ~n/CDw2r} ;a<(Y[Q«kt#0dd (~lڥn>?*\D#LuJȲ§OQ@ "g;Qz(أ'iI{3Ҋ(il 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 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. H