University of Iowa athlete caught the attention of Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani on 'The Voice'

A University of Iowa student appeared on NBC’s “The Voice” Monday night and is moving forward in the competition under pop star Gwen Stefani’s tutelage.

Eli Ward, 21, from Waterloo, Illinois, is a Division 1 athlete that ran track and cross country at UI. He also writes, records and produces music.

Ward appeared on the final episode of blind auditions of Season 24 of “The Voice,” a singing competition where famous singers form teams of talented up-and-coming musicians who battle it out on stage to win the show.

“Leaving running for music my final year at college is definitely not the easiest decision, but I think it’s absolutely the right choice,” Ward said befor his performance on stage. “I think a chair turn would even validate that further.”

Eli Ward chooses team Gwen Stefani on 'The Voice' auditions

The student athlete manifested not one, but two chair turns from pop star Gwen Stefani and country’s beloved singer Reba McEntire.

Ward performed “Bruises” by Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, captivating “The Voice” coach and former One Direction singer Niall Horan seconds into his performance, evident by Horan’s, “Ooh.”

Stefani was the first to turn for Ward, followed later by McEntire. The country singer was the first to greet Ward after he completed his performance, visibly shaken by the experience and pressed a hand to his chest as the audience applauded.

“Hello, I’m good,” he told McEntire. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” she said with a smile. “You OK?”

“I’m great,” Ward said. “I’m sorry, that was crazy.”

“Well Eli, that was really wonderful,” McEntire said. “I liked your song that you sang and it's totally different than anybody else I've got on my team. I love your voice. It's a different tone. I loved your approach to everything. It really appealed to me. So that's why I turned around and I'd love to have you on my team. The Reba team.”

It was then that Horan noticed just how similarly he and Ward were dressed, both in white undershirts with light colored button ups and pants, and got up to stand by the UI student.

“We’re just two cool guys,” Horan said. “Look at us, we’re so handsome together.”

Stefani told Ward how well he started off in his performance, indicating to her his potential.

John Legend, another coach on “The Voice,” noted that he and the other coaches could feel Ward’s surprise when Stefani turned for him, and said that Ward will no longer have to experience that feeling again. Instead, Ward can just be on the show, be excited and “be the best performer you can be,” Legend said.

“I think that you're really, really talented,” Stefani said. “I love raw talent, and I would love to have you on team Gwen.”

Ward, who chose to join Stefani’s team and will continue to compete on the show, announced his involvement on his social media in September, sharing with followers that he was, “Excited to let you all in on a little secret.”

Ward’s music is available to stream on Spotify.

Where can I watch ‘The Voice’ Season 24?

Watch Season 24 of “The Voice” on NBC or stream on Peacock the next day. “The Voice” airs Mondays at 7 p.m. CT and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. CT.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at PBarraza@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: University of Iowa student Eli Ward auditions on NBC's 'The Voice'