Defending champion Eliot House placed four runners in the top ten of yesterday's intramural cross-country race at Soldiers Field to win another easy victory in the annual fall classic.

Eliot's 256 points compared favorably with Quincy's second-place total of 388. Lowell House was a distant third.

The individual winner was 28-year-old Keith Chiappa, a pre-med advisor in Kirkland. His time of 9:30 was only two seconds off the course record. Chiappa was among the leaders throughout the race, but started moving away to his 25-yard victory as the runners rounded the stadium, three-eighths of a mile from the finish.

Like most of the entrants, Chiappa's training schedule has been light. He jogs down to the tennis courts, where he plays tennis, and drinks "lots of beer" to maintain his condition.

The mood at Eliot House last night was one of quiet satisfaction. "We were counting on sweeping it," athletic secretary Doug Berg said. His house has won every intramural contest this fall except for two football games.

Eliot's heroes were Tom McElligott, Mark Davis, Nigel Gallaher, and John Keating. They finished fourth, fifth, eighth and tenth respectively.

For Quincy the outcome was a bit disappointing since Quincy was also second last year. Roommates Andy Meltzoff and Rich Barton ran sixth and seventh to lead their House.