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Moore High School distance runner Dominic Matthias earns spot in Nike Elite program

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A young male runner in a purple "Oklahoma All Stars" singlet and blue mirrored sunglasses strains during a race, with blurred spectators and trees in the background.
Moore High School distance runner Dominic Matthias earns spot in Nike Elite program
Mike Glover
by Mike Glover of News 9, Aug. 21, 2026
 
When Dominic Matthias started running, his coaches quickly realized there was something special about him. His teammates and competitors noticed it, too. Now, the Moore High School track and cross country standout has earned national recognition from Nike.
 
MOORE, Okla. -The Moore High School junior trains year-round and has his sights set on breaking a national 5K cross country record.
 
“I think I prefer cross country,” Dominic said.
 
Whether he’s racing on the track or across the grass, Dominic has developed into one of the nation’s top young distance runners.
 
“The guys that say they can run fast on the track, but they can’t run fast on the grass, I was like okay, you’re not fast then,” Dominic said.
 
As he enters his junior year at Moore High School, Dominic has embraced the work required to compete at an elite level.
 
“It’s fun to feel the pain. And it’s even better when you see the result after knowing that you went through the pain and it was worth it,” Dominic said.

 
Training year-round
 
Dominic trains six days a week, competing in cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track. For him, running is essentially a year-round commitment.
 
“He knows exactly what we’re going to do Monday. We have a hard workout on Tuesday. He knows exactly what we do Thursday, and Friday,” said Dustin Mettler, Moore High School cross country coach and boys head track coach.
 
That work — and Dominic’s success in competition — caught Nike’s attention.
 
Dominic was initially invited to participate in the company’s developmental program. After his continued success, he said Nike offered him a spot in its elite program. 
 
“He called me and he was like, hey, we had a spot open up for our Nike elite if you’d like that and I was like oh year for sure,” Dominic said.
 
The program will give Dominic additional resources as he continues developing as a runner. 
 
“They’ll help us with funds and stuff, getting to meets and then we get a bunch of extra coaching,” Dominic said.
 
He said he will also have access to support involving nutrition and the mental side of competition, along with Nike gear.
 
Competing among the nation’s best
 
Dominic said only eight distance runners are part of his event group in the program.
 
“In my event group there’s only eight of us. So, in other people’s eyes I’m seen as one of the best eight athletes in the nation that run distance,” Dominic said.
 
That recognition has also put a bigger target on his back.
 
“Everybody wants to beat me, and they think that they can beat me, They talk behind my back and they’re like I’m going to beat him today,” Dominic said.
 
While he respects his competition, Dominic doesn’t lack confidence when he steps up to the starting line.
 
“I don’t think that a lot of guys understand the challenge that is laid in front of them whenever they have to go race me,” Dominic said.
 
For Dominic, that confidence comes from knowing how much work he has put in before a race begins.
 
“I walk off the track knowing that there is nothing more that I could do to win that race,” Dominic said.
 
Chasing a national record
 
Dominic still has two years of high school competition ahead of him, and he has already set an ambitious goal.
 
He wants to break the high school 5K national record in cross country, which he said stands at 14 minutes.
 
For a runner who has already earned recognition as one of the country’s top young distance athletes, it’s another mark to chase — and another reason to keep putting in the miles.
Two young men stand in front of a large painting of an athlete, with marble stairs and columns in the background.
A sweaty runner in a blue %22Moore%22 singlet and sunglasses is celebrated with %22Gatorade Player of the Year%22 text against a carbon fiber background.
A male runner in a black and red uniform with the number 7961 on his chest runs on a cross-country course with spectators in the background, while the foreground displays text announcing him as the %22Gatorade Player of the Year.%22
A male runner in athletic wear stands in the foreground against a dark, textured background with dramatic light streaks.
Two runners race across a grassy field with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.
Two smiling young men, one wearing a white hat and sunglasses and the other with a medal around his neck, pose in front of tents and spectators at a track and field event.
A young athlete in a checkered singlet stands with a man in a blue hoodie, both smiling in front of an outdoor building.
A triumphant runner with blonde hair raises his arm in victory in the foreground, while a cheering crowd watches from the bleachers in the background.
A young male runner in a blue and red singlet races down a dusty dirt path in the foreground, with spectators and other runners visible in the blurred background.
Three male runners in racing attire are in the foreground, with a blurred background of trees and a fence.
A young man with blonde hair and medals around his neck stands in front of a red backdrop with %22TRACK & FIELD CROSS COUNTRY%22 logos.
A young male runner in a blue and white uniform sprints on a track with hurdles and flags in the background.
A runner with blond hair and sunglasses silences the crowd with a finger to his lips, while a blurred background suggests a race in progress.
Two male runners, one in a black and white singlet with red shorts and the other in a white singlet with black shorts, race on a dirt path with spectators watching in the background.
A young man in athletic wear stands proudly with a medal around his neck in front of a large digital display showing %225000 14:16.42%22.
A male runner with blonde hair and a Nike racing outfit runs on a red track, with a blurred background of green trees and dappled sunlight.
A group of young male runners in racing attire are sprinting on a grassy course with houses and tents visible in the blurred background.
A young man in a white cap and sleeveless shirt proudly displays his fifth-place medal and a USATF patch in front of a red banner.
A determined male athlete in a purple and white Nike singlet points forward on a running track with a blurred green forest in the background.
A runner crosses the finish line of a race with a crowd of spectators cheering on either side, while businesses and traffic lights line the street in the background.
Two young men, one in a running uniform and the other in athletic wear, pose for a photo with a blurred background of houses and trees.
Two young men in athletic wear walk on a muddy path in the foreground, with a grassy field and trees in the background.
A young male runner in mid-air on a track celebrates with coaches and teammates in the background.
Three people, two men and a young male runner, converse in the muddy foreground, while a blurred crowd and trees form the background.
A young male runner in a purple %22Oklahoma All Stars%22 singlet and blue mirrored sunglasses strains during a race, with blurred spectators and trees in the background.