NORMAN, Okla. - UC Irvine sophomores Rei Harashima and Jin Nakao have been named 2023-24 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars as announced Thursday by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
 
The Anteater duo are part of an elite group of 532 NCAA Division I men's golfers to earn the award. To be eligible, an individual must be at least a sophomore both academically and athletically, maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2, have participated in 50% of their team's competitive rounds and own a stroke average under 76.00.
 
Rei Harashima earned second-team all-conference honors after a third-place finish at the Big West Championship. On the season, he carded 14 rounds at or below par with six sub-70 scores. Harashima, who played in every tournament, ranked third on the team with a 73.00 stroke average. He is majoring in economics.
 
Jin Nakao closed out the 2023-24 campaign with a 73.50 scoring average. He registered 10 rounds at or below par with a season-best 67 on two occasions. Nakao is majoring in sociology.