Grinnell a game changer for Madigan family
February 19, 2026 — When Dan and Camarin Madigan, both class of 2000 Grinnell graduates, established the Madigan Family Endowed Fund for Athletics in 2020, they had hoped but didn’t know their own child would become a Grinnellian.
As a second-year student at Grinnell, their daughter, Genevieve Madigan ’28, is among the 427 student-athletes that are benefiting from donor gifts to Athletics. Genevieve competes in cross country and track (both indoor and outdoor), lettering in all three sports. As a first-year last season, she took second place in the 10,000 meters at the Midwest Conference Outdoor Championships, one of 17 top ten finishes she achieved in track.
Dan and Camarin created the $50,000 fund to enhance the student-athlete experience, believing a strong athletics program provides a healthy balance to a rigorous academic schedule. The proceeds have supported the salaries of several assistant coaches.
Dan, left, Maddie, Alex, Camarin, and Genevieve Madigan pose for a photo at Lake Louise during a family vacation in Banff, Canada.
“Grinnell College is the greatest place, and I feel sorry for people who don’t get to go there,” Camarin says. “Being remotely located, it’s more difficult to recruit coaches and staff members. Track teams need multiple sports specialists, and the driving force for our gift was having funds to support the whole robust athletic program.”
Back when she was looking at schools, a phone call Genevieve had with two track student-athletes solidified her decision to attend Grinnell. She began to feel like part of the team before she even arrived. That sense of welcome and belonging has only grown, enriching her time as a college student.
Genevieve is following in her parents’ footsteps. Athletics were a huge part of their Grinnell experience.
Dan was an outstanding runner for the cross country and track teams, helping the cross country team win three conference titles. Camarin came to Grinnell to play soccer and swim where she contributed to three conference titles (one in soccer and two in swimming).
Camarin says she’s grateful that she was also encouraged to try new sports at Grinnell. Competing in track convinced her she should have been running her whole life. She qualified preliminarily for nationals in the 800 meters, breaking the former school record. Her time of 2:15.67 is still the third fastest in Grinnell track history, trailing only times by Genevieve’s cross country coach Sarah Burnell ’14 and Genevieve’s teammate, Hannah Roark ’26.
The Madigans run in a Turkey Trot race each Thanksgiving.
When the co-ed water polo club team, the Wild Turkeys, unexpectedly qualified for nationals in Maine, Camarin convinced then-President Russell Osgood to send the team to compete with just two weeks’ notice. While competing, they relished meeting the alums who came out to watch.
The couple’s post-graduation activities demonstrate their belief that athletics is a lifelong endeavor. Dan has run a number of marathons in the Bay Area, Tokyo, and Boston, and won the Palo Alto race one year. Camarin competed in an adult soccer league and Master’s swim program. As the family grew, their roles shifted more to fans than athletes. They have, however, taken up competitive ballroom dancing, a sport they first encountered in a semester-long swing class at Grinnell.
Dan was an economics major at Grinnell. He coached track and cross county at Las Lomas High School for over ten years and was a stockbroker earlier in his career. Camarin majored in political science and French. She is a partner at Perkins Coie law firm, focusing her practice on real estate, energy, land use, natural resources, and environmental law. Because of their studies at Grinnell, the couple also made a gift to name the Madigan Family Faculty Office in the Humanities and Social Studies Center (HSSC).
Camarin says she received a truly well-rounded liberal arts education at Grinnell. Involvement in sports focused her studying time and encouraged a healthy, balanced life. A study abroad experience in France and an alternative spring break in Kentucky and Tennessee exposed her to new places and cultures. A school grant allowed her to intern with the Los Angeles County attorney one summer, which helped her discern the type of law she wanted to practice and build a network for her future career in California.
“When I have met people over the years and talked about college, I have never met anyone whose experience compared to mine,” Camarin says. “Grinnell offers so many opportunities that make the world smaller, and each individual person bigger.”
—by Kim Kobersmith