Prior to that, Van Nostrand spent two years of coaching varsity lacrosse at Corona Del Sol in Arizona and was a varsity assistant at Baldwin in New York from 2006-2009. He helped lead Baldwin to a Nassau County championship appearance. Van Nostrand's playing experience started at Baldwin High School on Long Island where he was the captain, leading scorer and All-County selection for the county runner-up team. He continued onto Salisbury Prep in Connecticut where he again became team captain and an All-New England selection. In college Van Nostrand played for Gettysburg College and was a two-time team captain and two-time NCAA All-American in Division III. He played in two national championships during his career at Gettysburg and finished third all-time in points at the school.