Brandon Burns of North Kingstown and Hendricken's Andrew Palumbo have both earned invitations to run the high school mile at the prestigious Millrose Games.

Former Journal sports writer Bob Leddy provides this report on how they and other Rhode Island high schoolers fared at the Yale and New Balance meets on Saturday:

On the strength of their performances at separate track meets yesterday, two Rhode Island runners were extended - and have accepted - invitations to the Millrose Games high school mile on Feb. 2 at Madison Square Garden.

Hendricken’s Andrew Palumbo clocked 4 minutes, 20.14 seconds to finish fourth at the New Balance Games yesterday at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York. At the Yale Invitational mile run in New Haven, Conn., meanwhile, North Kingstown’s Brandon Burns placed third in a time of 4:19.77. He and Palumbo with fill out the Millrose’s nine-man field.

The only time Rhode Island fielded two Millrose high school milers was 1989, when St. Raphael’s Andrew and Neal Butler ran the Garden’s four-lane banked oval. The last local runner to make the prestigious Millrose field was Hendricken’s David Murphy, in 2003.

Also at the Yale meet, La Salle’s Jean Christensen yesterday broke a five year-old state record for the girls’ 3,000 meters. She placed fourth in a time of 10 minutes, 02.71 seconds. The previous mark of 10:06.7 was set by North Kingstown’s Lindsay Vieira in 2002.

In the boys’ 4x200 relay, Hope won in a new state-record time of 1:30.91. Matt Washington, Winston Smith, Kevin Morgan and Joao Moreno comprised the relay. The Blue Wave held the old record of 1:1:32.09, set in 2004.

Other R.I. Yale Invitational results:
GIRLS
Mile - 3, Jeanne Mack, La Salle 4:58.20. 55m - 5, Laurenmaria Smith, Hope 7.40.
BOYS
55m - 1, Kevin Morgan, Hope 6.52; 5, Matt Washington, Hope 6.74. 55mH - 3, Kevin Alexander, N. Kingstown 8.05.