T.J. Brock and Michael Norman cool their jets during first day of state track meet

It was all about surviving to sprint another day for T.J. Brock and Michael Norman at the CIF state track and field preliminaries Friday evening amid a sea of multicolored umbrellas in the stands, where spectators sought relief from the oppressive heat at Buchanan High in Clovis.

Brock, a senior from West Hills Chaminade and the defending state champion in the 100-meter dash, clocked 10.54 seconds for the fastest qualifying time and appeared to be saving a little extra for tonight’s finals, when even hotter conditions are expected.

Norman, the Vista Murrieta senior who set the national record in the 400 in last year’s state final, cruised to the third-fastest qualifying mark in 47.26, then recorded the top qualifying time in the 200 at 21.36. The reigning Gatorade national runner of the year, Norman won the 400 in 46.21 and the 200 in 20.23 (third-fastest time in the world this year against a headwind) a week earlier at the Southern Section Masters Meet.

Earlier in the week, CIF officials decided to push the start time back an hour and a half due to extreme heat, but the temperature was over 100 degrees for Friday evening’s first running event, where Kaelin Roberts anchored Carson’s 4x100 girls’ relay team, which qualified first overall in 45.16 — the second-fastest time in the nation this year and 12th all time in California.

Roberts later won her 400-meter heat in 53.15, the fastest qualifying time by more than one second.

The third heat of the girls’ 100 matched last year’s state runner-up Lauren Rain Williams of Westlake Village Oaks Christian against defending champion Zaria Francis of Oxnard Rio Mesa and Williams won in 11.49 — the second-fastest time in the nation this year. Francis (11.59) was the third-fastest qualifier behind Heat 1 winner Celera Barnes (11.57) of Ventura St. Bonaventure.

Williams, the national leader in the 200, qualified first in a time of 23.09 to establish herself as the favorite to defend her state title, but will have stiff competition from Barnes (23.50), Roberts (23.52) and Francis (23.94).

Agoura junior Tara Davis, the state leader in the long jump and national leader in the triple jump, qualified second in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet 4.75 inches and was the leading qualifier in the 100 hurdles, clocking 13.50 — the second-fastest time in the state and fifth-fastest time in the nation this year. Davis was third in the long jump as a freshman and sophomore and second in the triple jump as a sophomore.

In the girls’ 1,600 meters, Temecula Great Oak senior Destiny Collins (4:49.33) and Rancho Santa Margarita senior Amanda Gehrich (4:50.14) won their heats and recorded the two fastest times to set up a rematch of last year’s state final in which Gehrich rallied to win in a national-best 4:33.33 with Collins finishing third.

Riverside King’s Tyler Janes was the top qualifier in the boys’ 1,600 in 4:10.86, followed by Camden Smith of Palmdale Highland (4:11.50), Masters champion Isaac Cortes of Great Oak (4:10.98) and City Section champion Paul Luevano of Venice (4:11.88).

Despite falling early in the 300 hurdles, Mira Costa junior Shante Robinson came back to win her heat by a step in 42.52 and earn the second-fastest qualifying time behind Zoe March of Immanuel (42.34).

Even without Norman, Vista Murrieta had the fastest qualifying time in the boys’ 4x100, 41.33, followed by San Jose Bellarmine (41.49) and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (41.56).